Young Justice: Generations
by SyxkeaXIV
Summary: Twenty years after the Reach has been defeated, heroes across the nation have started to disappear. It is up to a new team of young heroes to discover what is going on, who is behind it all, and how to stop this new evil. OC contest story and major AU after season 2.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own to rights to Young Justice, either the animated show or the comics, or any other media that might be involved. It belongs to DC Comics, Cartoon Network, and all other people involved with individual character creations. I am making no profit off of borrowing this universe, characters, and so forth. Also, all original characters belong to their respective owners, not to me.

Note: This is going to be an OC contest story. Yeah, I know plenty of people have already done some of these, but I figured that with the show being cancelled that I'd give it a shot. I would like to get six to eight characters in total for the main team.

_**For those interested in entering your characters, the template and some rules are on my profile.**_

This story takes place approximately twenty years after the events of season 2 (which basically means that at this point, I'm making up how I think the season will end). There will be multiple scenes with characters from the show/comics as well. I will also be taking some strong liberties with some of the canon characters (to the point where I may not be following either the show or any of the comics). I will still try and keep them in character, but their ages, pasts, and names may be different from the norm. This makes this story incredibly AU, in case that wasn't already clear.

Anyway, enjoy the first chapter (which introduces my own OC) and feel free to send me a PM with your characters stats if you are interested!

* * *

_Sacramento, California_

_July 5, 14:18 WDT_

The day after Independence Day, the streets of Sacramento were filthy. The parade celebrating the event from America's history, along with the many barbecues, concerts, and other various parties, had passed, but no one had taken the time to clean up the mess. Most people were more concerned about the celebration itself rather than what came after. It had been that way yesterday, it had probably been that way when the Declaration of Independence itself had been signed, and chances were good it would be that way in the future as well.

A lonely figure walked down the streets…or perhaps limped down the streets was a better description. His long brown hair blew in the slight breeze that formed as he moved. He stood just below six feet in height and had a slightly muscular appearance, although it would have been hard to tell from the loose, black sweater jacket he wore. His deep green shirt was sweaty underneath the sweater, and the people who passed him by wondered why he would wear something like that on such a hot summer day. It was also likely that his sweat came from the pain of having to move as much as the young man was. Faded blue jeans covered his legs, and he had white hiking boots that were caked with mud and red liquid, which anyone would have realized was blood if they had stopped and taken even a cursory look.

The young man looked around at the people on the sidewalk, on their bicycles and in their cars. They didn't have a care in the world besides any after-celebration celebrations that came with the Fourth of July.

Of course, many of the people he passed were in groups of friends and family. He saw a mother and father playing with two daughters, one mother who had her hands full with twins, and a father who was play wrestling with his two sons. Some families were more extended, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and other forms of relatives that the boy couldn't determine just by watching. Regardless, the fact remained that it was a time to spend with friends and family…just like he _should _be. Bitterness flooded through him. How could all these people be so happy when he had no reason to be celebrating?

_Independence Day, _he thought intensely._ What a load of crock._

The young man stopped at the corner of one of the less busy streets. Everyone was so preoccupied with their own activities that no one had even noticed him. No one saw his limp, the grimace on his face as he walked, or the blood on his boots. No one saw anything. He was invisible. Part of him was glad, and the other part of him was filled with sorrow at the thought that he was now so alone.

_Dad, what am I supposed to do now?_ He wondered. _Without you, who do I turn to? Who can I get to help me find Malcolm?_

Just as he was thinking this, the televisions in the store behind him suddenly turned on. He turned to watch the news for a moment. Jade Williams was reporting on the events of the previous day, and some of the more banal news on the stock market. The young man was about to turn away and keep walking when the news story changed.

"As I'm sure our viewers know, we will be celebrating the anniversary of the defeat of the alien invaders, The Reach, in two weeks," Jade informed her audience. The screen shifted to some of the old footage of the War with The Reach, including some scenes of Blue Beetle battling Black Beetle. "It has been twenty years since The Reach was defeated at the hands of the Justice League and their fellow heroes. In that time, we have come to appreciate the League and what they stand for. They saved the planet from the horrible tyranny of these invaders. We owe them our lives and a great debt of gratitude."

The boy wondered how well this particular reporter (or at least, who had written what she was reporting) knew the Justice League itself. He had learned about the war in school of course, but he also had some second-hand knowledge he learned from his father, who had known the League personally. He knew enough about the battle, who had fought who, the lives that had been lost. This reporter was acting like this was all new information and that the League was some great society everyone else had to bow to. Did she not recall that the public and the government (of multiple nations, he might add) had actually turned their backs on the Justice League and superheroes in general until the truth about The Reach had been revealed? And now she was putting them up on a pedestal as if the public and government had been behind the League the entire time?

But that was neither here nor there.

"In honor of this anniversary, the Justice League is hosting a festival on the premises of the Hall of Justice," Jade continued to report, and a scene of the Hall of Justice being decorated for some kind of celebratory event was shown. "The Justice League invites everyone, with and without any superhero powers or skills, to attend."

He could recall that the Hall of Justice had been destroyed just before the war officially started. It had been left in that state in commemoration to the League's early days, which honestly had never made sense to him. The government finally budgeted to have it repaired and restored (mostly due to financial backing provided by multi-billionaire Bruce Wayne), and it now functioned as both a museum to the League (as it had before) and as a site for certain events. This one was clearly no different.

"As demonstrated at the Justice League conference two days ago," the reporter resumed. "The League is always looking for new members to join in the fight against the evils of the world. The former Boy Wonder and one of the League's most well-known members, Red Robin, calls for any and all heroes that are particularly interested in Justice League membership to attend the festival."

The television screen switched again to footage from the conference that the young man had watched live two days ago. Red Robin, bearing his usual long-sleeved red tunic and deep black cowl, stood at the podium in front of the Hall of Justice. The young man watched the hero in awe; even at the age of thirty-four, he still seemed to have a presence of a young man, albeit a young man that commanded respect without having to ask it.

"Superman once said that the Justice League was formed because no one hero is capable of solving the world's problems alone," Red Robin said from the podium. "It is indeed our ability to cooperate and work as a team that makes us able to uphold truth, liberty, and of course justice itself."

A crowd had begun to form around the store's windows. The young man found himself surrounded by at least twenty people, and they were all whispering about the festival. He shuddered a bit when one person got a little too close to him, and he shifted his backpack closer to his shoulder.

"As such, the Justice League is always looking for others who are interested in membership. Anyone of any age may come and speak with one of our representatives at any time," Red Robin continued on the television. He gave a long smirk to the camera. "Of course, we will not be inducting any members who are under the age of eighteen, but the future lies with our young heroes as well. A few members of the League and I will be there to talk specifically to any young heroes who may be interested in future membership ones they reach the age of majority."

The reporter went on to describe the events of the festival, including some small competitions between heroes, interviews for those who qualify for membership, and different booths. The young man moved away from the crowd, which had become far too loud for him to want to deal with by now.

Of course, the mention of the Justice League brought back a memory from a few years ago.

"_**Kieran, I want you to promise me something," his father, Philip, requested.**_

"_**What's that, Dad?" Kieran asked.**_

"_**If something should happen to me, or should you and Malcolm ever need help and I can't be there," Philip ordered. "I want you to go to the Hall of Justice in Washington, D.C. and speak with the Justice League."**_

"_**The League itself?" the younger man repeated.**_

"_**Yes, they know my identity as Ghostwise," the father explained. "They actually offered me membership a few years ago. That was when your mother was still alive. I declined their offer obviously. I wanted to stay to take care of your mother while she was ill."**_

"_**You didn't have to do that," Kieran argued. "We could have taken care of ourselves."**_

"_**That's not the point now," Philip debated. "Promise me you'll go to them if you ever need help, if something happens to me."**_

"_**Nothing going to happen to you, Dad," Kieran insisted.**_

"_**Promise me, Kieran," he maintained. "They are the ones who would be more than willing to help you and Malcolm if it ever came to that. I have to know you'll keep your brother and yourself safe."**_

"…_**Okay Dad, I promise."**_

Kieran looked up at the clear sky, with the hot sun beating down on his pale skin. A car drove by over the speed limit, causing gust of wind to nearly blow Kieran's brown wig off and expose his pale white hair. He pulled the wig on more snugly.

_Well, Dad, it looks like this time has come,_ Kieran thought to himself. _The Justice League. That's who I turn to. They'll help me find Malcolm and track down his kidnapper._

The boy headed to the outskirts of Sacramento, heading as far east as the city limits before pausing. He took a look back to the city and then to the Sierra Mountains before him. If he was going to speak to someone in the League, the festival at the Hall of Justice was probably his best bet. However, Washington, D.C. was across the country, and if he was going to make it to the festival he only had less than two weeks to get there. Add to that, the fact that he was injured made traveling much more difficult.

_There's no way I can walk the whole way, and I don't have enough money for a bus or a train right now, _he reasoned, glancing down at his injured left leg, which was still bleeding a bit despite the bandages he had put on it. _I guess I'll just go as far as I can. Maybe I can hitchhike or something._

"Well, feet, this is going to hurt," Kieran said with a sigh as he started walking.


	2. Behind the Scenes

A/N: So this is just a backstory chapter. There are no OCs appearances yet. There is _a lot_ of exposition here, however, which I'm sad to admit makes this a rather boring chapter to read. It's mostly to give readers an idea of what the canon characters have been doing all this time. Not all of them are mentioned here, but most are and I also added in some characters that are in the various comics but never appeared in the show. Again I'm taking liberties with what they have been/are doing, just for having some continuity in my own story.

OC Contest Update: Well, only about a week has passed and I've received a bunch of really good characters. Some of them I've pretty much chosen, but I would still like to get a few more before I make any final decisions and actually start posting more chapters. We'll see if the series ends before I get around to doing that. Anyway, I've added a few new things to my rules and OC template on my profile. If anyone else is interested, please have a look.

Retcon Notice: In light of the final episode of Young Justice, I have edited this chapter to fit a bit more with how the season ended. It's very minor changes and will not make a huge impact on the story as a whole, but I felt obligated to let people know in case they read the old version and were confused.

Enough of my rambling now! On to the chapter!

* * *

_Hall of Justice, Washington, D.C._

_July 12, 09:36 EDT_

Red Robin watched the workers around the Hall of Justice continue to work on preparations for the Justice League Festival that would take place in a week's time. There were a variety of booths for games, information, sponsoring companies and so forth, but most were really just for presentations about different powers or skills, including but not limited to super strength, super speed, elemental powers, and some magic courtesy of Zatanna. He noticed that the booths involving gadgets were few and far between, and did not feature many of the tools that Bruce, Dick, Jason and himself had used. It was probably for the best that some of those gadgets were kept secret, in case any villains were watching.

It was not common for the former Boy Wonder to be nervous, but this time around he definitely had a bad feeling. He had no doubt that villains were going to be watching, if not secretly attending, the festival. Some he was sure he knew (he had no doubt that someone like Lex Luthor, even at the age of seventy-one, would probably make an appearance) but others he still did not know the secret identity of. The latter was what he was most concerned about.

"Red Robin?" The aforementioned turned his head away from the construction. Behind him was Batman, also known as Dick Grayson when in his civilian identity. Bruce Wayne has retired only a few years ago, although he still acted as consultant and guide for the League, and Dick had taken up the cowl. "What's bothering you?"

"Just thinking about the festival," he answered.

There was a pause from the newer Dark Knight. "Walk with me?"

With that command, Red Robin followed him back towards the Hall of Justice. It was currently empty, which was strange considering all the commotion going on with the preparations for the festival. The pair walked the halls of the building, silent for a few minutes before Batman spoke again.

"Okay, what's really bothering you?" he requested.

Red Robin looked up at the taller, darker man. "Do you really think it's a good idea to put ourselves out in the open like this?"

"Not at all," Batman replied. "But it is a good opportunity to draw out this mystery villain."

"We still haven't found out who is behind the disappearances then?"

"Not yet, but they won't be able to resist the possibility of so many heroes, especially Justice Leaguers, being in one place at once," he explained. "And it's the best way to promote good relations between the League and the public."

"Good thing G. Gordon Godfrey's off the air now," Red Robin concluded. "That alone helps us out a lot."

"No doubt we could do without_ that_ negative publicity," Batman agreed.

"Still, I'm worried that something's going to go horribly wrong," the younger man said. "With so many of us gathered together, we'd be obvious targets."

"Said another way, we will be able to defend ourselves better together than if we were each attacked separately," Batman argued good-naturedly. "Anyone on your old team coming?"

Visions of his old team and how they had changed over the past twenty years flashed through his mind. Cassie had continued her training under Wonder Woman, eventually taking the title for herself when she was old enough and when Diana expressed a desire to return to Themyscira (though like Bruce, she would still don her costume when called). Cassie, Karen and Mal had all joined the Justice league once they hit their mid-twenties. Garfield had quit the team when he turned eighteen to pursue a degree in zoology, but returned to fighting crime soon afterwards. He had switched his name to Changeling, as Beast Boy didn't really fit with a man in his twenties (and now thirties). He was an honorary member of the Justice League but had not officially joined yet. Lagoon Boy had returned to Atlantis and was one of the head instructors at the Conservatory of Sorcery. The hardest one to come to terms with, of course, had been Barbara. During a battle with the Joker and some of his goons, he had shot her in the spine and paralyzed her from the waist down. She hung up her mantle of Batgirl and took the name Oracle, acting as an information broker for various members of the team. Both Red Robin and Batman used her skills in computer hacking and intelligence gathering on a regular basis.

"Wonder Woman, Changeling and Bumblebee are coming," Red Robin listed. "La'gaan said he was too busy in Atlantis, and Oracle's staying in the Batcave. How about your side?"

"Kalder is still in Atlantis helping Aquaman. Must be the same thing La'gaan's working on," Batman described. "Miss Martian's not back from her recent trip to Mars, so she won't make it. Zatanna, Rocket and Red Arrow are of course coming for the demonstrations."

"…Any word from Arsenal?"

"…No, nothing," the younger Dark Knight informed him. "I haven't heard from him in two months."

"Do you think he's been captured too?"

"I can't say for sure right now, but I hope not," Batman explained. "How about the New Team?"

"New Team?" Red Robin joked. "Batman, it's been this team for about ten years now."

"How's Superboy doing?" he asked.

Red Robin smirked. Of course the real reason he would ask after them was really in regards to his old friend and teammate. Superboy, un-aging as he was, still stayed on the Team, both as a member and as an instructor. He was also an honorary member of the Justice League and took the duty seriously, especially since Superman, although still young, was starting to show his age a bit as well.

"He's doing fine," the younger man said. "He says the Sanctuary's been too quiet since the 'New Team,' as you put it, left."

He smiled fondly as he thought of the Team that just ended their run. It wasn't that they were too old (the Team was never really based on age alone, unless the person in question was too young), but they had all decided that they were ready to go onto bigger and better things, whether that involved joining the Justice League or not.

The leader of the small team at the time had been Lian Harper, aka the new Speedy. She had the combined temperament of her parents: loyal and determined like her father but clever and resourceful like her mother. She had joined the team at age thirteen with her father's old name and using her training in archery as her main skill, although it was also common to see her using swords and sai as well. Red Robin deduced that Cheshire had probably snuck those weapons into the Sanctuary without him seeing, which was a feat unto itself. Lian had proven time and time again to be an effective leader of the squad, and Red Arrow was very proud of her. At age twenty-one, she was due to join the Justice League in the next few months, after she had spent some time traveling the world with her mother.

Then of course there were Don and Dawn Allen, the Tornado Twins. At just nineteen years of age, the twin speedsters were the youngest in the group and easily the most time-consuming to train. It was their training that was probably the reason Barry had turned gray earlier than expected, but he and Iris could not have been happier with how their children turned out. Dawn was going to school at Harvard while Don was heading for Stanford. He also had started dating a young woman named Meloni. It had certainly been a challenge to keep Bart from saying anything about _that_ fact.

The oldest had been Damian Wayne, the current Robin, though he did not want to be called that anymore at the age of twenty-four. He had not even wanted to join the Team in the first place, and it was only at the urging of both his father and Dick (who at the time was still Nightwing) that he went along with it. Although certainly not a team player, he had managed to complete missions with the right motivation. His biggest problem had been the fact that he wasn't in charge, and would try and take command from Speedy on more than one occasion. It also frustrated him that Lian never seemed to fall for his bait.

"With Damian and the twins out of there," Batman teased. "I can see why it would be quiet."

"Robin would have gotten out of there years ago if he could have," Red Robin moaned. "And I'm happy to be done with him."

Batman gave a chuckle. Red Robin and the youngest Robin had never gotten along. "You and him both."

"What is he going to do now anyway?" the younger inquired. "He obviously won't tell me. I know he's keen on taking on the Batman title, but with you still here…"

"He said he's going to try his hand as Nightwing for a while," the elder responded.

"…You've got to be kidding."

"Nope, not kidding," Batman said with a grin. Even though he knew it was Dick rather than Bruce, Tim still thought the sight of Batman smiling was a little odd. "You never said who on the New Team was coming."

"Speedy's on her trip with Cheshire," he explained. "The twins said they'd stop by with Flash, and you know what Robin's doing better than I do."

"Speaking of Flash, is Mercury coming?"

The name Mercury actually referred to Bart Allen. Once Barry had retired, Bart had taken the up the Flash name for a while and had a hand in training the Tornado Twins once they were old enough (although it was weird for him to be a Flash that was older than his own father and aunt and not be able to tell them the nature of their relationship). Both during and after his time on the Team, Bart had also done some training with Max Mercury, the Zen Master of the Speedforce and old friend of Jay Garrick. When Max passed away, Impulse changed his name to, simply, Mercury in his honor. He had honorary membership to the League as well, but still tended to go his own way.

The biggest thing keep Bart occupied had been the newest Kid Flash. Artemis had given birth to twins just nine months after The Reach had been defeated (clearly she and Wally had a "celebration" after the summit between The Reach and The Light and prior to his death), whom she had named Irey and Jai. Although Jai was not showing any indication that he was interested in hero work, Irey was more than eager to start her speedster training. She had been on the Team for a while, but quickly decided that it wasn't her thing and quit. She wanted to spend more time with Bart during his time as the Flash. He had been more than happy to present her with the Kid Flash mantle, seeing it as more than appropriate for Wally's own daughter to take the name. Once Bart had changed his name to Mercury, Irey had taken up the Flash title at the young age of eighteen, becoming both the youngest and the only female Flash in history thus far.

"He said he would stop by for a while to say hello to everyone," Red Robin reported. "Not sure when or for how long though."

"And Blue Beetle?"

"…No. He said he's not coming."

"I figured as much," said Batman. "Is he still…?"

"A little," the other replied. "But he was at the farewell party for the Team a few weeks ago, so maybe he'll come out more."

"The fact that this festival is so public is probably the reason why he's avoiding it," the older man concluded. "But that's neither here nor there for now."

"You haven't distracted me from my concerns, Dick," Tim said quietly. "I still don't think such a public display of our team members is a good idea. If someone is responsible for the recent disappearances of heroes around the world, this could just be another opportunity for it to happen again."

"I know. I'm not dismissing your concerns, Tim," Batman responded. "But the rest of the League and I agree that this might be the only chance to force this person out into the open. Otherwise, we could each be picked off at any time we're on our own."

"Safety in numbers," Red Robin concurred.

"Plus, I've been thinking it would be a good opportunity for you to interview some young heroes that may be assets to the Team."

"That's why you had me make that statement during the conference last week, right?"

"Exactly," he confirmed. "With the Team disbanded for now, looking for new recruits would not be a bad idea."

"So you want to keep the cycle going?" Red Robin asked. Batman nodded solemnly. "I guess it never hurts to have new blood every now and then."

"We were all new heroes at one point or another," Batman mused. "Even Batman had to start somewhere."

"Do you think I'll find anyone promising at the festival?"

"Tim, I can almost guarantee it."


	3. Early Crime Fighting

A/N: So here's the first chapter that finally has some OCs. I've taken the advice of reviewer reven228, which I completely agree with and partially already thought of, and will be taking it slow to introduce new characters. For those who have received PMs confirming your character, please do not be surprised if your OC does not immediately show up.

I wanted to put these two characters in a chapter at once rather than splitting them up because I think they contrast each other rather well. They both have different perspectives and different ways of doing things. Read on and you'll see what I mean.

I'm still accepting OCs if anyone is still interested. Again, even when the team roster is full I may still use other OCs in supporting roles (two of which I already have ideas for).

Disclaim: The Blue Gentleman and all related characters and plot are property of KingOfStories01, and Brightside and all related characters and plot are property of shielddrake42. I claim nothing involving them as my own. I am merely borrowing them.

* * *

_Metropolis High School, Metropolis_

_July 15, 15:01 EDT_

The school bell rang loudly in the ears of both its students and its teachers, signifying the end of the summer school day on a hot Friday. It was the last day of the summer term, the shortened term for students who wanted to take more classes to get ahead (or to catch up on classes in which they are behind) before returning to normal school in the autumn months.

Jun preferred to use this class time as a chance to avoid the hot summer weather.

_So dang hot around here_, the young man complained, wiping some sweat off his forehead.

Swinging his backpack onto his back, Junpei Arthur Kirman (Jun for short) exited the school building and started walking to the bus station. One would think that he would be used to warm weather from the light tan on his skin, but in all truth his build came more from his training in karate and with his Escrima sticks. His five foot, six inch frame was covered by a red, short-sleeved shirt and tan shorts, appropriate for the hot weather Metropolis was experiencing. Of course, the white knee-high socks he wore probably kept his lower legs warmer than desired. His long, athletic legs carried him quickly to his destination, his white sneakers not making a sound as he walked. His long, light brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail to keep it off his neck in another attempt to stave off the heat.

_Wish I could just fly home,_ Jun thought. _This secret identity thing is really annoying sometimes._

_Keeping a civilian identity is important to protect your loved ones__,_ the voice in the back of Jun's head, Zarcen, explained. _You must remain under cover. What do you think someone like Atomic Skull would do to anyone that Superman cared about?_

_Yeah, I know_, Jun conceded. _Still, it would be nice to not have to walk to the station each day._

Of course, what brought Jun to Metropolis these days was the fact that his school did not offer summer courses, so he had to commute to a larger school closer to the center of the city each day. He normally lived with his grandfather on the outskirts of the town, a perfect place a raise a young man but close enough to the big city if something like this was necessary.

_Grandfather will probably buy a car for me for my sixteenth birthday_, he mused, rubbing the back of his head. _Not that I need to drive with my telekinesis._

_Civilian identity, remember Jun?_ Zarcen repeated.

_Yeah yeah, it's still annoying though._

Jun crossed to the next sidewalk when three police vehicles and an ambulance rushed down the street, sirens blaring. He watched the group speed around the corner from where he just came.

_Looks like trouble_, he thought urgently.

Jun's attentive, light blue eyes scanned around for a place where he could hide and change into his costume, which he always kept in his pack. It only took about twenty seconds for him to find one: a small alley next to a café. He headed in that direction, only to be stopped by a group of boys he knew from his class, Alex, Scott and Kurt. They all waved at him and stopped him in his tracts.

"Hey Jun," Alex greeted with a smile. "The guys and I were going to go check out the new arcade just down the street. You want to come?"

_New arcade?_ Jun repeated in his head. He loved video games and normally would go for one, but if there was need for superhero work he needed to do that first.

"Thanks Alex, but I have something really important to do," he refused as politely as he could. "Maybe I'll join you next time?"

Alex looked a little disappointed. "Okay. But that's what you said the last four times."

"It's _really_ important," Jun persisted, giving him a smile and then rushing around the group of friends. "Sorry. Don't mean to be rude."

Jun could hear the three sigh almost simultaneously as he rushed to the alley to change. He took one last look around before dropping his pack and taking out his costume.

_One would think you were more interested in being a hero than having friends, Jun__,_ Zarcen argued kindly.

_Come on, Zarcen,_ he debated back. _This could be important!_

_I'm not trying to dissuade you from doing right__,_ Zarcen added. _I just want you to have some normality sometimes. Friends are a wonderful part of life outside heroics, after all._

Jun ignored him as he switched clothes as quickly as he could. He knew Zarcen only had his best interests in mind, but he was far more interested in protecting others with his powers. It wasn't as if he was antisocial or anything, he just had his priorities in different places. He got along fine with the other students at his school (Alex being one of them) and he was generally well-liked (if not well-known) among his peers. Jun certainly never felt lonely. After all, he had Zarcen.

Zarcendrium Liasmyx Lornerhinal, or Zarcen as Jun called him simply because his normal name was such a mouthful, was a member of an alien race called the Seraphim who had crash-landed on Earth when Jun was twelve. He could recall the experience as if it happened yesterday.

_**Jun was sitting in his room, looking up at the bright blue sky from his window. His grandfather had left to run a few errands, and warned Jun not to leave the house or to let anyone in. As such, Jun was rather bored, and watching the neighborhood from his window was the only thing he could think to do at the moment.**_

_**As he watched the sky, however, he noticed a bright blue light streak across, blowing the few clouds away from its path. Jun did not hear it make a sound when it landed, but he was sure it couldn't have been further than the park a few streets down. Jun looked around at the street below. It would seem that no one else had even noticed the light.**_

**Am I the only one who saw it? **_**He wondered.**_

_**Curiosity got the better of him. It was still daytime, so surely it wouldn't be a problem for him to investigate for just a few minutes, right?**_

_**In no time, Jun found himself at the crash site, just a little ways into the nearby woods that was next to the neighborhood park. He found the site easily, as the broken branches and burnt trees and bushes clearly marked the path the light had taken. Something also smelled of smoke. Was the forest on fire?**_

_**Jun came upon the site and stared at the center of the crater. The light was in fact a being, about ten feet tall with glowing blue skin. He was the thinnest creature Jun had ever seen, which he could only tell because the creature's long white robe was torn and burnt in a number of places. Attached to his back had been six wings, which Jun was sure normally shimmered and glowed like his skin in the sunlight but had been crushed and broken in multiple places. One wing looked like it had been broken at the point where it inserted into his back and was only being held on but small straps of skin and muscle. The most shocking thing about the creature was his face: it was completely blank, with no eyes, ears, nose or mouth and with no other distinguishing features.**_

_**Jun couldn't help but walk up to the creature and kneel down. The alien had turned its head in Jun's direction when the boy had arrived at the crash site. Although he had no eyes, Jun could tell that he was looking directly at him. The alien lifted one hand and placed it gently on Jun's shoulder.**_

**Do not be afraid,**_**Jun heard a voice say it his head, quiet as a whisper but clearly showing pain. Jun's eyes widened. Was the alien speaking to him? **_**I will not harm you.**

_**The next thing he knew, Jun's sight was overcome by a blinding blue light and the feeling of something covering him. The light seemed to seem into his skin, making him feel light as a feather. It wasn't painful at all, it just felt…odd to say the least. It was as if he could hear things, see things, feel things in an entirely new way, in a way that made him believe he had been blind, deaf and cold to the world before.**_

_**The light subsided, leaving Jun still sitting in the crater. The creature had vanished however. He could have sworn that he saw it though, and the evidence of the crash around him made Jun sure that he had not imagined the whole thing. But what had happened to the alien?**_

**Do not worry, Jun****,**_** he heard the voice say again. **_**Everything's all right.**

_Jun?_ Zarcen's voice called to him, snapping him out of his memories. _Were you going to change?_

_Oh yeah, right_, he thought.

Donning a red, button-up shirt and a blue suit jacket with blue slacks, he took another look around to double-check that no one was watching. The last thing he wanted was someone to spot him changing into the Blue Gentleman. He added black socks and blue dress shoes with a blue top hat, and finally the deep blue domino mask completed the ensemble. Taking a deep breath, Jun jumped up and, using his telekinesis to levitate himself, flew off.

The Blue Gentleman had emerged.

From the skies of Metropolis, Blue Gentleman easily spotted the sirens he had seen while he was on the ground. Following them, he flew off to the northern edge of the city. He could tell that one of the smaller skyscrapers (by Metropolis standards) with the logo "Metropolis Insurance" was on fire. There were a number of fire trucks trying to douse the flames, but were unsuccessful so far. Policemen were around trying to keep the surrounding crowd away from the commotion.

The greatest problem with the scene didn't have to do with the fire, not directly at least. The problem was that Superman was above the building, facing off against an android that appeared similar to Amazo, but with deep blue upper body and yellow lower body. Now, what Jun knew about Amazo was that it was an android that could copy the powers of any superhero it encountered. Was this one the same? Was this even the same droid?

The answer to his questions came quickly. The Pseudo-Amazo gave Superman a strong punch, knocking the Man of Steel down into the roof of the burning building. It sent out a blast of heated beams from its eyes, obviously heat vision. And of course it was flying. All of these were perfect copies of Superman's powers.

Superman stood from where he had landed on the roof, and stumbled a bit when he felt the building below shift. From the look on his face, Blue Gentleman could tell that he was concerned about it collapsing. Neither of them had time to think about that at the moment, as the Pseudo-Amazo starting flying towards the roof.

Jun spotted a nearby van that had been crushed by some rubble that most likely came from the building. Concentrating as hard as he could, he mentally sent the van from the ground into the android before it could reach Superman. This knocked the Pseudo-Amazo out of the air and into the nearby streets. The police and crowd scattered to get away from the android, some screaming and others cheering. Superman looked up and spotted the Blue Gentleman flying close by. He beckoned the boy closer, and Jun flew in to listen.

"You have telekinesis?" he asked.

"Yeah," Jun answered. "Telepathy too."

"How much can you lift?"

"Only about as much as that van."

"I see," Superman accepted, not bothered by this fact. "There are still people inside. I can hear them screaming, and this building is about to collapse any minute. Can you distract the Amazo long enough for me to get them all out?"

"I can try…" Blue Gentleman said, a little unsure but willing to try.

"That's all I can ask for," Superman said as he quickly flew down and into the building.

Jun looked down at the Pseudo-Amazo, feeling a little daunted as the android took to the air again and headed towards him. He telekinetically lifted some more debris from the roof surrounding him and threw as much of it as he could at the android. The Pseudo-Amazo was knocked back a little, but kept coming.

_I have to get it away from these people_, he thought.

_You can do this, Jun__,_ Zarcen said encouragingly.

Jun took off again, knowing he had to draw the Pseudo-Amazo as far as he could. He was sure he couldn't physically (or mentally for that matter) force it away, but he could at least keep its attention on him until Superman was done.

"Hey ugly!" he screamed, and then mentally cringed at the lamest insult in the world. "Betcha can't catch me!"

As silly as that taunt was, it did the deed. As Jun flew upwards and away from the burning building, the Pseudo-Amazo followed. Blue Gentleman weaved and dodged as the android moved around trying to punch him. He was lucky it didn't have Superman's super speed, as that would make this feat impossible.

_I can't let it catch me,_ he thought. _I'm dead if it does._

_Exactly__,_ Zarcen agreed. _You must keep you keep your distance as best you can._

"Hey! You call that heat vision?!" Blue Gentleman yelled out after the Pseudo-Amazo had sent the twin beams from its eyes and missed him. "I've seen better heat vision in video games!"

That caused Zarcen to laugh again. _As you would say it, very classy._

_Should I change to Seraphim mode?_ Jun asked Zarcen.

_I would not,_ he suggested. _You only have a set amount of time in that form before you would lose consciousness, and then the people below, not to mention Superman, would be in danger._

_Good point_, Jun agreed. _That's the last thing I want._

A few more minutes of taunting and dodging occurred. Jun occasionally threw some rubble from the on-fire building at the android but did not try to directly attack it. He took comfort that he at least was able to keep it busy. The Pseudo-Amazo did not seem keen on speaking, which was honestly not that surprising to the boy. He was just glad he was able to deter the thing as long as he was.

Jun then heard the sound of bending metal and falling cement. Looking down, he saw that the insurance building below had indeed collapsed into a huge pile of rubble. He flew down and glanced around anxiously. Superman was nowhere in sight.

_Jun! Behind you!_ Zarcen yelled in his head.

Jun turned around to see the Pseudo-Amazo rushing towards him. He barely managed to dodge the attack in time, and flew upwards to get at a better vantage point. The android turned around to face him, turning its back to the collapsed structure.

This turned out to be the Pseudo-Amazo's undoing however, as at this point the roof of the collapsed building (or most of it anyway) came flying up into the sky. Jun flew off away from it, but the android didn't move quickly enough. The rubble smashed into the Pseudo-Amazo, knocking it back a few hundred feet.

Superman revealed himself beneath the building ruins, and it suddenly became clear to Jun what had happened.

_He was holding the building up!_ He declared.

_The building likely lost its structural integrity some time ago,_ Zarcen concluded. _Superman must have been holding it until all the people inside managed to escape._

The Blue Gentleman wisely stood (or hovered) aside as Superman took on the Pseudo-Amazo alone. In no time at all, Superman managed to get a good shot at the android's head with his heat vision, causing the head to explode and the remains of the machine fell to the ground with a loud splatter of metal.

Jun gave out a sigh of relief and lowered himself to the ground. Superman followed suit, making sure the rest of the Pseudo-Amazo was packed away in parts, completely in police custody and taken care of. He said a few words to the reporters and a few members of the crowd. Once finished, he turned around to Jun with a small smile.

"That was some impressive work there," he complimented.

"Is everyone all right?" Blue Gentleman asked.

"Yes, I was able to get everyone out of the building before it collapsed," Superman replied. "Thank you for distracting him while I saw to that. The building would have crushed those people if I had not caught it."

"Well, I don't have super strength," Jun said, a little shyly. It wasn't every day he got to speak with such a celebrity superhero. "And my telekinesis couldn't have held up an entire building."

"That was smart of you. It's important to know your limits," Superman said honestly. "I normally don't like to put someone your age in a position like that, but you seemed to do well enough against him."

"Thank you, Superman."

"What's your name?"

"Blue Gentleman."

"I think I've seen you around Metropolis before, helping with some smaller crimes," Superman recalled. "Were you the one who dealt with the bank robbery on South Mason and Sixth two weeks ago?"

Blue Gentleman perked up and smiled. Superman remembered him! "That was me."

"You do some good work," the Kryptonian praised again. "But be sure to stay safe. You're still young after all."

"Yes sir."

Superman paused for a moment, taking in the young man before him and rubbing his chin.

"Have you heard about the Justice League Festival next week?" he inquired.

"Yeah, I have," Jun responded.

"Have you considered going?" Superman suggested. "You're young, but we're always looking forward to meeting new heroes."

"Would that be okay?"

"Absolutely," the older man answered. He held a hand up to his ear where his communicator was located. "This is Superman. What's the situation, Wonder Woman?"

There was another pause. Blue Gentleman stayed quiet, knowing that this was probably important.

"Understood. I'm on my way," Superman said, and lowered his hand. "Well, Blue Gentleman, duty calls. I hope I see you at the Hall of Justice."

"Yes sir!" Jun replied very enthusiastically.

"…One last thing," the Man of Steel stopped himself and turned around again. "I know I said it's important to know your limits, but keep in mind that it's important to challenge those limits as well."

"Yes sir," said Jun. "I'll keep that in mind.

Superman gave him one last smile before taking off to take care of whatever Wonder Woman had called him about. Jun took the sky as well, figuring that he would just fly home. He had probably missed all the buses back home, and he'd have to explain his tardiness to his grandfather anyway. Jun could barely contain his excitement, and certainly couldn't stop the smile from spreading wider across his face.

_Did you hear that, Zarcen?!_ He declared, flying around in a few loops. _Superman knows me!_

Zarcen gave a telepathic chuckle. _Indeed he does._

_I'm going to have to figure out a way to get to D.C. next week,_ he concluded. _There's no way I'm missing this opportunity now! Superman will be there at least. I wonder who else will be there? Batman? Wonder Woman? Maybe the Martians?_

_You can find out when you go,_ Zarcen deduced. _You will probably meet some other heroes your age as well. You can get to know them, perhaps make some friends?_

_The news said there's going to be displays and presentations on different superpowers, _Jun rattled off in his head. _I wonder which ones there'll be. Maybe I can compare mine to the others?_

Zarcen gave an internal sigh as Jun continued to fly home. He was a good kid, but Jun had a tendency to become too engrossed in being a superhero. Zarcen, although very supportive of Jun wanting to help others and do what was right, was also very concerned that heroics would completely take over Jun's life, leaving him entirely alone in the process.

Jun was home in no time, as flight was always the faster mode of travel than walking and taking the bus. It was close to six in the evening by then, and he hoped that his grandfather was not angry at his staying out later without calling him. Kazuo tended to be a little protective of his daughter's son, having raised the young man from the age of three after his parents had been killed by a super villain. He landed a little ways away from his house, changed his clothes again, rushed out from his hiding place behind a few trees, and finally went to his door.

"Grandfather!" he called out as he opened the door and entered. "I'm home!"

Kazuo stood from his seat on the living room couch, giving Jun a rather unhappy look. Jun cringed. The elderly Japanese man was his guardian and dear friend, and he never wanted to make his grandpa angry. After all, he had left Japan and decided to raise him in America after his parents died. He knew Kazuo would do anything for him, and he hated that he had to lie to keep his identity a secret from him in return.

"Are you all right?" Kazuo asked him, concerned, as Jun took off his shoes and set down his backpack. "What kept you?"

"There, uh, was a fight between Superman and an android in Metropolis," Jun answered a little awkwardly. "I stuck around to watch. Sorry I didn't call you…"

"But you weren't hurt?"

"No, I'm fine."

Kazuo looked like he gave a huge sigh of relief. "I was worried. Please try and call if that happens again."

_You worry him a great deal, Jun,_ Zarcen advised.

"I know," Jun meekly replied, speaking to both Zarcen and Kazuo. "I'm sorry."

"Would you like me to heat up your dinner?" the elder asked. "It went cold when you didn't come home on time."

"Thanks."

Kazuo went to the kitchen and took out the plate from the refrigerator. He placed it in the oven to slowly warm it. In the meantime, Jun emptied his backpack on the living room table to sort out his school things.

"How was your last day of summer schooling?" Kazuo asked.

"Not bad. Nothing exciting."

"Mr. Kespen came by with Samantha this afternoon," his grandfather told him. "I told them you were still in Metropolis. Samantha would like you to call when you have the chance."

Jun's eyes swung to his grandfather. Michael Kespen was a wealthy businessman who worked in Metropolis. His daughter, Samantha, was good friends with Jun, probably one of the few close friends he had. Michael was very supportive of Jun and constantly encouraged him to be the best that he could be (though he was unaware of Jun's hero identity). He was the one who convinced Kazuo that Jun would benefit from summer school, thinking that it would help the boy get ahead in his studies, a little to Jun's annoyance as this interfered with his ability to fight crime.

"They did? Darn it," he moaned. "I'll call her after I eat."

"Do," Kazuo said simply, placing the heated plate in front of his grandson.

He watched the boy eat, the irritation on his face from before replaced with relief that Jun was all right. Once finished he picked up the plate and washed it for him. Jun sat back on the couch to relax, but regarded Kazuo again just a few moments later.

"Grandfather?"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering," he said nervously. "Would it be okay if I head to Washington D.C. for a few days?"

Kazuo looked up at him. "And why do you wish that?"

"I…uh…" Jun stammered. He hadn't come up with a good excuse to get Kazuo to let him go to the Justice League Festival. He obviously couldn't tell him the real reason. "It's…"

_It's a school thing,_ Zarcen suggested.

"It's a school thing," Jun echoed.

"I see," Kazuo said. "A _school_ thing."

"Yeah, you know," Jun extrapolated. "Mr. Kespen told me about it. It could really help with future classes to learn about the American government and everything."

It was a weak reason, Jun knew, but he wasn't going unless Kazuo knew where he was going to be (even if he didn't know the true reason).

"Very well. If you really want to," Kazuo said with a smile. "I will make you some traveler's checks and get you some hotels to stay in."

Jun stood up and gave his elderly grandfather a hug. Kazuo returned it gladly. All the while, Zarcen was mentally smiling.

* * *

_Colorado Springs, Colorado_

_July 16, 10:35 MDT_

Colorado was experiencing an unnaturally cloudy day for the middle of July. It didn't look like it was going to rain, but the amount of sunlight definitely left the summer lovers unhappy. Samantha Reeves was one of these people, but the current reason for her irritation had nothing to do with the weather.

It had to do with her stepdaughter, Felicity.

Felicity herself was staring in satisfaction at her reflection in her bathroom mirror. As a birthday present to herself, she had made her "fabulous" dirty blonde locks into thick dreadlocks, which now hung just past her shoulders. Mirth was in her forest green eyes as she laughed, recalling the reaction of both her father and stepmother when she came back with her new look. Samantha had insisted that she go to a hair stylist and fix the "mess on her head," and was dismayed when Felicity told her that she would either have to wait for her hair to grow back out or shave her head. Obviously the latter was far worse in Samantha's mind. If there was one thing in the world that Felicity truly enjoyed, it was annoying her stepmother.

The young woman left her room and headed downstairs to wait for her best friend. She wore a white top with brown shorts and off-white sneakers. A long, black coat covered her somewhat slender, five foot four inch frame, keeping the sleeves of the coat rolled up to her elbows. That was another point of annoyance for her stepmom: Felicity didn't dress very "properly." Samantha was of the opinion that girls were to be in dresses and skirts, and wearing shorts or trousers was unladylike. Thankfully this was one of the points that Felicity's father, Anthony, overrode his second wife's opinion, letting his daughter dress as she pleased.

"She's almost an adult, Samantha," Anthony told her, using her full name, as something like "Sam" was far too informal and androgynous. "She can choose how she dresses on her own."

Felicity waited patiently in her family living room for Emma, watching a little television in the meantime. There was a rerun of the announcement from the Justice League regarding the festival in a few days, which both intrigued and frightened the young woman. She was silent on the matter, but Samantha was another story.

"What kind of a group does this sort of thing?" she hissed. "Can't they see what damage they cause to the surrounding people and their property? They say they defend the public against evil, but they cause just as many problems."

"If it wasn't for them," Felicity argued. "We would all be slaves of the Reach. Would you prefer that instead?"

Samantha stood from her seat and glared at her stepdaughter. "Must you always cause such trouble?"

"What did I do now?"

"Argue with me," Samantha said haughtily. "Go against my word. Can't you just do as you're told?"

"Samantha, that's enough," Anthony interrupted the pair. His wife glared at him. "Felicity is old enough to make her own choices."

"Just because she's fifteen—"

"Sixteen," Felicity interjected. "I turned sixteen on the second, remember?"

"Sixteen, doesn't mean she can be so rebellious," Samantha finished, huffing and leaving the room.

Felicity stared after her stepmother but said nothing. Anthony sighed, turning the television off and turning to his daughter.

"Would it kill you to try and get along with her?"

"She started it."

"But you could have ended it, Felicity," Anthony demanded. "Really, sixteen years and you can't just give it a shot?"

"I can argue the same thing about her," Felicity insisted.

"I just hate to be in the middle of you two," her father revealed.

"Well, I'll be eighteen in two years," the young woman said. "Then you won't have to worry about me at all."

"Felicity, you know that's not what I want."

"…I know," she conceded. "Sorry. She just really riles me up."

"I'm not trying to take sides here, Lissy," Anthony told her. "Really, I'm not."

"Better not let Sam hear you call me that," Felicity warned with a laugh. Samantha hated all nicknames, citing they were too "informal."

Anthony walked over to her, enveloping her in a hug and giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Love you, my little girl."

"Dad!" she whined, playing the game they always did. "I'm not little anymore!"

The pair was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Felicity broke off the hug and grinned at her father.

"That's got to be Emma," she said. "We're going to go see The Silent Vampire."

Anthony smiled. That was another trait of his daughter's that his wife couldn't break: her love for supernatural or horror movies.

"Do you need any money?"

"I've still got some allowance left over," she informed as she headed for the door. "But thanks."

"Have a good time, Lissy," Anthony said.

Felicity opened the door to see her best friend, Emma, waiting for her. She had on a shoulderless green top and black jeans, with purple, dangling bracelets and a deep purple purse slung over her shoulder. Ears that had multiple piercings held back her long, curly brown hair. Emma's smile easily reached her honey brown eyes as she regarded Felicity.

"Hey Lissy," she said. "Ready?"

"Yeah, let's go," Felicity said. "Bye Dad!"

"Have fun!" he yelled back.

The pair got into Emma's deep blue jeep, with the brunette in the driver's seat. Once they were on the road Emma turned her attention to her best friend. The pair had known each other for years, since they were in kindergarten, and were practically like sisters. If one was upset about something, the other could pretty easily tell.

"You've been really quiet," Emma mentioned. "Did I interrupt something?"

"Just another fight with Samantha," Felicity admitted.

"About the dreadlocks again?" she inquired.

"About the dreadlocks, and the arguing, and my age," Felicity listed off, counting with her fingers. "And the League. So, pretty much the same old."

"Talk about unsupportive," Emma concurred. "It's not like you're a bad teen or anything."

"Thanks for that," she said flatly. "I don't know. I don't do drugs, I don't drink, I get good grades… most of the time."

"A B average is considered good, Lissy," the other argued.

"Really, the most rebellious thing I've done is _this_," Felicity argued, gesturing strongly at her hair. "Is that really such a bad thing?"

"I don't think so, but then again I was the one who did it," Emma confessed. She had been the one to put the dreadlocks in Felicity's hair to begin with. "So I take it the revealing of your powers still hasn't happened?"

"No way," the slightly younger girl replied. "Not yet."

Emma had known about Felicity's powers ever since they started to develop when she was twelve. This was another thing that Felicity couldn't keep hidden from her best friend. Emma had figured it out almost immediately, both because Felicity had been horrible at hiding it at first and because Emma was some kind of a prodigy, especially when it came to technology.

"I can get that," Emma said, parking the car by the movie theater and opening her door. "I still think you ought to give the hero gig a try though."

"I don't know," Felicity responded, exiting the car and following the other girl to the theater. "I still don't have complete control yet, and I'm no good at defending people."

"You'd get better with practice," Emma encouraged her. "Think about it. You flying through the sky, a beam of yellow sunlight in the midnight sky—"

"Midnight would be the worst time to use my powers, you know that." she cut her off. The boy at the ticket booth looked at the pair strangely, but took their money anyway and passed them their tickets. Felicity lowered her voice. "And I'd need a disguise of some kind. Something to keep my identity hidden."

"Don't worry about that," Emma told her. "Mom, Dad and I figured that out weeks ago."

That was another thing that surprised Felicity at the start: Emma's parents had also found out about her super powers, and ever since had been offering to give her a hand with anything that might be hero related. They both worked as inventors and investors at the Colorado branch of Wayne Enterprises, and had access to a number of high-tech gadgetry. Not that Felicity would need gadgets, but things such as a costume or transportation were easily available. It was strange. Felicity didn't tell her parents about her powers in fear they would reject her, and yet Emma's mother and father openly wanted to assist her. Sometimes, she felt like they were more her parents than Anthony and Samantha were.

"You did what?"

"Here, I'll show you," Emma said as they sat in the theater. They were fortunate that no one else was there yet. The brunette took out her iPhone and pressed the screen a few times, bringing up a few photographs of what appeared to be components for a hero's outfit. "Check it out. We could do it in yellows and oranges to represent the sun, some light armor for your chest, arms and legs, goggles to protect yourself against your own sun rays…"

"You've really thought this through, haven't you?" Felicity wondered.

"Hey, I'm the Q to your Bond," Emma joked. "That's what we sidekicks do."

"Wait," Felicity played along. "I'm not even a hero and you call yourself my sidekick?"

"Hey, I don't have powers. So I have to live it vicariously through you."

"Your brain is enough of a superpower."

More people started to enter the theater, and the pair kept their mouths shut for the entirety of the film. It was only early afternoon when the movie ended and the two friends left the theater. They decided to head for the food court at the nearby mall for some food. It was a pretty busy place, even for a Saturday.

"I thought it was pretty cool," Emma said, referring to the movie they just saw. "I mean, more chilling than scary, but still pretty cool."

"Yeah, the effects were fine, but the female lead was too much of a damsel," Felicity criticized. Indeed, the leading lady did leave much to be desired. "I would've liked her to stand up for herself a bit more instead of needing rescuing so much."

"You say that because you're the one who's going to do the rescuing," Emma commented.

"Back to that again, huh?" the blonde wondered.

"What would be so bad about it?"

"I told you, I don't know," Felicity repeated. "The whole dressing up in costume and fighting crime thing just seems way out of my league."

"You've got to have more confidence in yourself, Lissy," said the brunette. "Look on the bright side of things. Maybe start small and work your way up. You're not joining the Justice League tomorrow after all."

"Bright side of things, huh?" Felicity echoed. She smiled a small smile. "They said they're looking for new heroes at that festival thing."

"I remember seeing that on TV," Emma confirmed. "Are you thinking about going?"

"Dad and Sam would never let me," she replied. "Plus, I don't have the cash for it."

"I'd be more than willing to front the costs for you," the other offered. "Plane tickets, hotels, you name it!"

"Just because your parents make too much money for Bruce Wayne doesn't mean I'm going to take charity."

"It's not charity, Lissy. They know what it would mean to you."

"I don't know…"

"Is there anything you _do_ know?" Emma teased.

Whatever response Felicity may have had was interrupted by a few screams of terror. On the other side of the mall hallway was a jewelry store, carrying a wide variety of expensive necklaces, bracelets and rings among other pieces. Felicity was sure it would be the kind of place she would expect her fiancé to look for an engagement ring if she ever got to that point in her life. At this store was a masked man, most likely somewhere in his late twenties, holding a gun pointed at the female cashier. He was shouting something about handing over some of the more valuable jewelry. The cashier looked terrified, but quickly stuffed as much merchandise into a sack as she could.

Felicity looked at Emma, noticing her worried yet pressing expression. She wanted to know if Felicity was going to do anything. That was a fair question.

Was she going to do anything? She had been terrified when she sent her out first ray, having caused a few trees to be sliced in half by its power. Felicity swore she would never let herself lose control like that again, and she had been practicing nearly non-stop since she was twelve. She had done all that to keep herself from hurting anyone and to keep herself safe from anyone who might want to go after her. Looking around now, there were so many people that she was nearly petrified at the prospect of someone seeing her use her powers. Could she risk it?

The man with his face covered by a dark ski mask grabbed the sack from the cashier and backed up, still holding the gun at the woman's head. He spun around and waved the gun wildly.

"Anyone who come near me gets a bullet to the brain, got it?!" he shouted.

A path cleared before him. No one wanted to get in his way and risk being shot. Felicity watched as the man made his way to the exit at the front of the food court. She glanced around, knowing that there was a separate doorway behind the restrooms that led to the same parking lot the man was headed for. She might not be able to do anything there and make herself known, but if she could sneak out the back way…

She faced Emma and held a finger up to her lips, indicating that she should be silent. Emma nodded, watching as Felicity walked around the people who were blocking the way to the exit. Obviously some of them wanted to get away from the gunman, but they were blocking the doorway. Most of them had stopped at the door though, knowing that he was likely heading to the very place the restroom back door led. Felicity breathed a sigh of relief, as she was able to scoot past the people who remained and managed to get outside without anyone seeing her. Everyone had been too distracted by the commotion to pay attention to her.

Felicity spotted the man heading for a car about twenty-five feet away. Another masked man was in the driver's seat, clearly meant as the getaway vehicle. She rushed as close as she could to the car, keeping herself hidden behind a tree. Luck was on her side, as the men began arguing instead of immediately driving off. She found herself close enough to be able to make her shot…

Concentrating as hard as she could, Felicity gathered the energy of the sun she stored earlier and focused it into her hand. Her skin felt hot, though not in a bad way, and she aimed her palm at the car's back wheels. With a gasp, she sent out a bright beam of yellow sunlight at the wheels, blasting the right rear tire into scraps of melting rubber. A loud boom echoed through the parking lot as the air from the tire suddenly escaped, sounding almost like a gunshot. Felicity ducked back behind the tree as the two men rushed out of the car to inspect the damage.

A few minutes later, six mall security guards rushed out of the building and to the car, each one holding a gun at the two men. The one with the gun and the sack of jewelry immediately dropped his items and raised his hands above his head, while the second one took a little longer but still surrendered. Felicity waited in her hiding place until she was sure that neither the robbers nor the guards spotted her. She then moved back to the back door and entered the food court again.

Felicity quickly returned to Emma, who had not moved from her spot at one of the food court tables.

"Mall security just brought two guys in and the PD has been called to deal with a car," she informed her super powered friend. "One of the robbers was yelling about an exploding tire. Know anything about it?"

"I've no idea what you're talking about," Felicity answered.

It was soon after that the pair finished their Chinese food and hopped back into Emma's jeep. They were quiet for most of the way back to Felicity's house. Eventually, Emma spoke up again.

"You used your Searing Ray on the car, didn't you?"

"Yeah," the blonde replied. "It bought the police enough time to catch the crooks."

"Were you seen?"

"I don't think so."

"And how did that feel?"

"Using my ray?" Felicity questioned. "Or the stopping the criminals thing?"

"Both," Emma said simply.

"Good. Very good, actually.

"Lissy, you know I'm not trying to push you into doing anything," Emma told her. She was just about to head down the street to her destination. "I just think that, since you have these abilities, you might as well use them for good."

"I know and trust me, your confidence in me is appreciated," Felicity answered. "I'm just not sure I'm good enough to do it."

"Hey, whatever decision you make, I'm behind you," Emma affirmed, pulling into the Reeves' driveway. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know. Thanks," said the blonde. She unbuckled her seat belt, opened the door and got out of the car. "I'll call you later, okay?"

"Anytime, Lissy," Emma said as the other closed the door. She backed her car up and was driving away a moment later.

Felicity was not eager to enter her house again, knowing that another argument with her stepmom was very possible. It seemed like the two of them couldn't go a day without getting in a fight over something. It was a miracle that her father put up with it the way he did.

Thankfully, if there was an argument pending it was not going to happen immediately. Once the young woman entered her house, she spotted her parents watching the television intently. The news was one, and Jade Williams was reporting on a fight in Metropolis that took place the previous day. Much of the footage was of Superman fighting some kind of android, but there was also some scenes of a young man in a blue suit, blue top hat and blue domino mask taunting the android and distracting it while Superman was off doing something else…most likely saving people from the insurance building that was on fire below.

"…Superman, assisted by teen hero, the Blue Gentleman, managed to subdue the android and submit the parts to Star Labs," Jade Williams recounted. "Superman praised Blue Gentleman, saying that although young, he may be a shoe in for future Justice League membership. I'm sure our viewers are eager to learn more of this new hero, but hope that the young man stays safe."

"In others words," Anthony stated. "He shouldn't get in over his head."

"This is despicable," Samantha complained. "Not only do these people create chaos everywhere they go, but they encourage young children to do the same?!"

_I wouldn't call it creating chaos,_ Felicity thought. _I'd call it saving lives._

"What must their parents think?" Samantha continued to rant. "This young man, for example, his mother must be ashamed of his actions!"

"Now Samantha," Anthony said placidly. "We shouldn't judge how others raise their children."

"Oh please, Anthony," his wife whined condescendingly. "These children are obviously not being raised properly. If they were, they would know to leave the crime fighting to the police."

Felicity, tired as she was, was in no mood to start a fight, and wisely kept her mouth shut about it. "I'll be in my room."

"And there goes your daughter again," Samantha proclaimed. "Ignoring me and what I say."

"Do you always have to look for the worst in everything I do?" Felicity wondered aloud, her voice nearly a hiss.

"Both of you, enough," Anthony said firmly.

Felicity continued her way to her room and shut the door, blocking out Samantha's tirade as she went on complaining about teen heroes.

She sat on her bed and rubbed her eyes. The young woman honestly wasn't sure how much longer she could take this. She hated lying to her father (lying to Samantha, on the other hand, was fair game), she was stressed out about keeping her powers over sunlight secret, and she was feeling more and more like an outsider every day. She didn't want to go out and do anything with anybody; there was too great of a chance that someone might figure out her secret. Emma and Emma's parents were really the only people she could truly trust. Three people she could trust. That was it.

_How pathetic is that?_ She thought.

What had she been thinking, going after those robbers that way? What had she hoped to accomplish? Felicity was no hero. She was just some unwanted kid dropped off on her father's doorstep when she was no more than a day old. Her own mother had abandoned her, leaving her with a stepmother who would have been happy to be rid of her. Samantha had never wanted to be a mother, and it was only at her husband's urging that she even agreed to raise Felicity in the first place. Anthony was understanding enough, but he never spoke with her about her mother and certainly wouldn't approve of any heroics.

The blonde took out her iPhone, bringing up the photographs of the costume Emma had designed. She had emailed the pictures to Felicity just after the movie had ended. She stared at the different parts of the outfit, taking in the colors, the armor, and shape…

She couldn't do this, could she? Taking up a mask and cape and fighting evil? What use were powers over sunlight when she couldn't use them if she had been in the dark for too long? Pretty dang useful, if this afternoon was any indication. The robbers had been stopped after all. Maybe with a little more training, she could actually be someone. It would be rough, but she could at least try.

"Look on the bright side," she said, reminding herself of the words Emma had told her before. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Closing the pictures from the screen, she searched her iPhone for Emma's number. With a quick sigh, she called it.

"Hello?" Emma's voice came from the phone speakers.

"Hey Em, its Felicity," she said. "Can you hook me up with some plane tickets?"

Felicity could almost feel Emma smiling on the other end of the line.


	4. Festivities

A/N: Finally we get to the festival that's been mentioned numerous times. I wanted to get the plot officially rolling now, but I worry that I might have put too much information into this chapter. What do you guys think?

Secondly, in light of the season finale (which I shall not discuss here simply because I know plenty of people already are) I have slightly rewritten chapter one to fit the end of the series better. The changes are minor and don't affect what I already have planned, but I figured I'd fix it and mention it here for the sake of continuity.

Disclaim: Lancet and all related characters and plot are property of PadawanChilde, and not me. Also, I don't know Scottish terminology or slang, so in favor of not butchering it horribly I'm not going to be using it in dialogue…or at least using it only minimally.

* * *

_Hall of Justice, Washington, D.C._

_July 19, 12:54 EDT_

Red Robin glanced around at the Justice League Festival. It was overly crowded with people, both hero and civilian. Some reporters were interviewing various members of the League, many established League members were showing off their powers at different presentations (Zatanna herself was holding a magic show across the field), and some people had even brought their kids and were playing games at some of the booths. Captain Marvel was having a grand time with that job.

Of course, there were also heroes abound, many of which were new faces. Red Robin spotted one demonstrating his aim with his elemental ammo, one girl showing off power over the weather, a couple of speedsters racing each other, and one girl singing very well on one of the podiums. There was a cryokinetic, a chlorokinetic, an electrokinetic, a few with telekinesis, a shapeshifter, and one who focused on creating force fields.

Batman had been right. There were plenty of supers around with an assortment of useful powers. He was certain to find new members for the Team.

"There's definitely no lack of talent here today," Red Robin said to himself.

"Hey Red!" a slightly younger voice called out. Tim turned to see Bart rushing up to him, decked out in white and blue, the colors of his last mentor, Max Mercury. He was grinning widely. "How goes it?"

"Just fine, Mercury," Red Robin replied. "And you?"

"Not too bad, all things considered," he answered. "Exciting, isn't it? This festival? Look at all these people!"

"It sure is," he agreed. "Are you having fun?"

"Of course!" Mercury responded loudly. "This is so crash!"

He smiled at his former teammate. Bart always got excited when people were together in large groups celebrating heroics. His future (which thankfully had never come to pass) had been a time where heroes were hidden or hunted at best. To see so many together having fun drove him mad with joy…and made him use the old slang he grew up with.

"You still worried?" Mercury inquired, knowing that Red Robin had some serious reservations about holding this event to begin with.

"A little. I admit that Batman has a point about finding new recruits," Red Robin confessed. "But I can't help the feeling in my gut telling me that we're just waiting for an attack."

"I would be surprised if we aren't attacked," Mercury concurred. "We're all keeping a close look out though. We should spot trouble the moment it starts."

"Yeah, I know," said Tim. "So, any news I need to know?"

"Nothing really important," Mercury informed him. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Besides Don and Irey arguing over the Flash name again.

"Again? What keeps that up?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"I've heard it's about who is more worthy of continuing the legacy," Robin added.

"So the rumor goes," Bart verified. "Irey and Da-Don want me to decide on it once and for all, but I hate to have to choose between them."

"It's still weird to not call him 'Dad', huh?"

"Not sure I'll ever get used to it," the speedster admitted. He snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, the Speaker is here."

"The Speaker of the House of Representatives?" Red Robin confirmed. Bart nodded. "Gerald Emerich? I remember him saying to the press that he might stop by."

"Yeah, he's over by the registration booths," Mercury replied. He pointed in the direction of the Speaker, who was standing with some bodyguards and talking with a number of reporters. "I think he's trying to promote that school idea of his."

"Not sure how I feel about that," said the other.

"Yeah, it's not crash. I mean I know we had bad press twenty years ago," Bart summarized. "But I thought we were good in the public's eye again."

"So was I," Tim stated. "Just keep an eye out."

"Sure thing."

"Anything else?"

"Just some people talking about horses being stolen across the country," Mercury reported with a shrug. "And then the same horse is dropped off at a police station a few states over, and in the same town the next horse is stolen from. With apology letters."

"So someone's stealing horses, riding them across states, and then apologizing for it?" Red Robin condensed. Bart nodded. "Weird, but probably not important."

"You're always telling me that the devil's in the details, Red," Mercury recited.

Red Robin gave a chuckle. "That I do."

"Anyway, I'm meeting up with Wonder Woman and Zatanna at the magic booth," Mercury added. "Cass says she hopes to see you there soon. See ya."

Tim gave him a nod of goodbye just as the speedster ran off. He smiled a little. Mercury had barely changed in twenty years. He then glanced over at Speaker Gerald Emerich, though he couldn't hear what he was saying. He hoped that if there was an attack, that it wouldn't look bad in the Speaker's eyes or that he was hurt in the process. That would cause some serious problems.

Thinking back to original intent, Red Robin headed over to the booth for new and young heroes. He had a team to rebuild.

* * *

Olivia MacPhail stood with her older brother, Kegan, at the registration booth as he signed their names on the clipboard. All heroes and their powers or abilities were being documented so that the League had a record of everyone that attended the festival. Kegan figured that they wanted to know where all the heroes were coming from, seeing as a number of them came to America specifically for this event. His sister was no different. Olivia had traveled all the way from Scotland to be there with her brother, and she was more than excited.

"Don't wander off yet, Lancet," her brother insisted, practically holding the younger hero back by her armor.

"I'm not."

Already she had counted seventeen heroes that were around her age! Add to that the adult heroes that were about…it was amazing! She couldn't wait to get to talking with some her age. Her brother was awesome, but it was something entirely different to have some heroic things in common with her own peers.

Olivia just hoped she would make a good impression. Although she had been training and fighting crime with her brother, she had never ventured out to do it on her own. That had been one of the conditions their mother and father had made when they agreed to let Kegan train her: she was not to do any crime fighting without him there. They knew all about their children's activities (and being inventors themselves, actually provided the two with the trick arrows and lance the two needed), but they still wanted the two to stay safe at all costs.

As such, the young Scottish girl had only just finished making her own costume for her identity, Lancet. She wore a dark purple, sleeveless top and dark purple trousers, with deep yellow combat boots and a purple domino mask. She had dark golden armor on her shoulders, heavy arm braces and guard gloves for extra protection. She kept a few extra gadgets on her yellow utility belt, and the cartridges for her lance were set in the strap across her chest. In her right hand she held her spear, ready for action.

"Are you listening?" Olivia heard her brother call out to her.

The girl turned her blue eyes to Fletcher, who was looking at her expectantly. She tucked a lock of her short, curly red hair behind her ears and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm listening," she lied.

"Lancet, how long have I been training you?"

"Since I was ten. Five years, although this last year doesn't count since you weren't around. Why?"

"I would think you would start paying attention better in that time, that's all."

"I'm paying attention!" she proclaimed. "Fletcher, look at all these people!"

He grinned at her. "Yeah, lots of people."

"Are you nervous?"

"A little bit," he admitted as the pair walked past the booth and onto the grounds. "I'm just worried I won't stand out enough."

Kegan, who went by the name of Fletcher in his hero identity, was an archer and crime fighter in Edinburgh, Scotland. He had seen Green Arrow, Red Arrow and Artemis of the Justice League on television when he was a child, and was inspired by them to take up his own bow to stop criminals. He had actually made quite a name for himself in his home city. Of course, when Olivia had expressed a desire to do the same he was more than happy to train her, though she was much better at close-quarters combat than he was. Olivia had been devastated when Kegan decided to move to America a year ago, which meant she was not allowed to go after criminals on her own, but nonetheless accepted his decision. Now twenty-three, he had gained his American citizenship during that year and was now looking to join the Justice League, or at the very least get his name out to them. His sister, meanwhile, had begged her parents to let her visit for the festival, and was ecstatic that they had agreed.

"It'll be great," Lancet comforted him. "You've been training for this since you were a kid. You're a shoe in."

"Thanks, kid," Fletcher said fondly, ruffling her short hair. "I'm going to go speak with one of the League, okay? Just—"

"I know, I know," she interrupted. "Stay on the festival grounds."

Fletcher gave her one last smile before heading off. Olivia went off on her own, looking around in awe. She spotted Zatanna performing some magic, Superman lifting a few trucks above his head (on in each hand), and one of the Green Lanterns showing of his power ring to some children by shaping it into different weapons. She started shaking a little, completely understanding why her older brother was as nervous as he had appeared to be.

She saw a large group of heroes, closer to her in age, gathered together at one end of the grounds. They were standing in a circle, while one or two stood in the center showing off some of their abilities. One girl was juggling balls of fire, which was probably not the best idea around such dry grass. Then again, this girl was probably just as happy and enthusiastic to be there as she was, so who was she to judge?

Lancet joined the circle and looked around at the other young supers. There was certainly a wide variety of appearances and costumes, but one seemed to stand out to her more than the others. A young woman who looked a little older than her stood off to the side, watching everyone else with somewhat nervous green eyes. She wore a yellow top that had orange sleeves, with a pair of light orange trousers. A set of light chest plate armor with neck guards, thigh guards and simple armbands, all white in color, looked like they were meant for a little defense, similar to Lancet's own armor. A light orange bandana tied across her forehead held back the girl's thick, blonde dreadlocks, and a pair of yellow goggles over her eyes finished the ensemble.

_She looks like she could use someone to talk to_, Olivia thought, heading over to the other girl.

"Hey, cool festival, huh?" she greeted.

The blonde girl looked a little shocked that someone was speaking to her. "Yeah, really cool."

"I'm Lancet. What's your name?"

"Um, Brightside."

"Oh, like Monty Python?"

"What?"

"Monty Python and the Life of Brian? 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life'?"

"Uh, sorry?"

"Nevermind. Bad joke."

Brightside paused. "Are you English?"

"Scottish actually," Lancet answered. "My brother and I came for the festival."

"All the way from Europe?" Brightside asked in amazement.

"Nothing a plane trip can't fix," she replied. "You have any powers?"

"…I can control sunlight."

"Cool! Show me sometime?"

"…Sure. How about you?

Olivia held up her spear with pride. That was her main weapon after all. While Fletcher had focused on archery, she was more of a spearman…spearwoman. Along with her brother's arrows, it was something her parents had designed for her. The weapon itself stood as tall as she was, about five feet, four inches in height, and was about as thick as her wrist. In its default mode, the cybernetic spear had a hardened steel tip that was about seven inches in length. It was a slightly odd choice of weapon, but Olivia always liked to face her foes head-on rather than from a distance.

"I'm a lancer. My brother taught me," she explained. She gestured to the cartridges kept on her shoulder strap across her chest. "I can also put in these in my spear to set it to fire or electricity, or to fire a grappling gun. I've also got some stuff in my belt. I can show you if you'd like."

"Are they anything like what Batman has?" Brightside asked.

"I think some, but not all," Lancet confirmed. She smiled and looked around again. "Hey, speaking of which, there's Red Robin!"

Brightside spun her head around. Sure enough, Red Robin was watching the group of younger heroes from a short distance away. Some of the braver teens had the nerve to walk up to him and ask some questions. Others settled for just trying to show off some of their powers or skills in front of him, hoping to get his attention. One girl with shape-shifting powers kept changing her body into different parts of animals, ultimately stopping as some kind of chimera. Red Robin watched all the revels with an oxymoronic serious amusement. He stopped a few of them to ask them some questions, though neither Brightside nor Lancet could hear what he was saying.

Eventually, he made his way to the circle where the two young women stood. He glanced around and, spotting them, headed in their direction.

"He's coming over here!" Lancet whispered urgently to her neighbor.

"Quiet!" Brightside hushed back. "He'll hear you!"

The cloaked hero stopped in front of them, sizing up both girls equally. He addressed Lancet first.

"What's your name?" he asked, friendly.

"Lancet, sir," she replied, not entirely sure how she would otherwise address one of the most well-known heroes.

"Lancet. Not a sort of name I hear often," Red Robin stated. "What is your training?"

"I'm a lancer," she repeated, gesturing to her weapon of choice again. She described its functions the same as she had done for Brightside.

"Care to demonstrate?" he challenged, taking out his bo staff and stepping back.

Her previous confidence a little diminished, Lancet walked up to him and held her spear battle-ready. The group of teens formed a circle around the two, watching intensely. Lancet launched herself at the older man, attacking him with her spear and knocking him back a little. He parried with his staff and the two exchanged blows for a little bit. Lancet was holding her ground well enough, but it was clear that Red Robin was not putting all his effort forth.

"Come on!" Lancet demanded. Red Robin landed his staff near the ground, and she placed a foot firmly on it to keep it in place. "Don't go easy on me."

The cloaked man smirked. "As you wish."

He attacked again with a more firm blow. Lancet parried it, but this was enough of a distraction to allow Red Robin to give her a kick in the abdomen and knock her down. His next blow knocked her spear from her grasp, and he pinned her down with his knee. She gave out a gasp for air.

"Okay," she laughed nervously. "You got me on that one."

"Nice parry though," he complimented. He held out a hand and helped her to her feet. "You just got a little reckless. Remember that recklessness and confidence are two sides of the same coin."

"I've still got training to go, I guess," Lancet admitted.

Red Robin turned his attention to the surrounding teens. He spotted Brightside again and walked up to her. She gulped.

"What's your name?" he asked her, in the same tone he used with Lancet.

"B-Brightside, sir," she answered as politely as she could.

"And what is your training?"

"I…I control sunlight, kind of," she said. "I can shoot rays of sunlight, make light-based shields, create light in my hands…fly…"

She trailed off, thinking that she was sounding less impressive the more she spoke. Lancet leaned on her spear, watching the exchange. Brightside had seemed all right when she had been chatting with her, so what was making her so anxious now? Then again, this was Red Robin she was speaking with, one of Batman's protégés. Even before he started showing a public face (a rare occurrence for the entire Bat family) he was well known as a skilled and deadly crime fighter.

"Would you demonstrate one of your rays?" he requested. He glanced around and gestured to one of the targets that some archers had been using for practice earlier. "Aim for that target over there."

Brightside looked away for a minute. She regarded the target for a split second before raising a hand. Holding her palm out, she released a beam of yellow light. It flew towards the target and shattered it into pieces upon contact. Lancet shielded her eyes at the bright light that exploded from the sight. Red Robin turned his head away for a moment, but looked back at her once the light had died down.

"Fascinating," he whispered. He then raised his voice. "And the shields?"

The blonde swallowed again. She held up a hand, which began to glow lightly. The light expanded from her hand until a large globe surrounded her entire body, shimmering in different colors in the natural sunlight. It looked like she was trapped in a glittering prism. Red Robin watched her for a moment, but made no move. Brightside soon let the shield fade and looked down at her feet.

"How about flying?" Red Robin asked. "Do you have any limits on that? Height? Distance?"

"…I don't know," she confessed. "I've never tried."

He rubbed his chin in thought. Lancet could only watch as Brightside found great interest in her boots and Red Robin stared at her. Minutes passed, and the surrounding teens started to whisper to one another, no doubt gossiping. At long last, Red Robin walked up to the dreadlocked girl.

"One last question," he stated. Brightside looked at him with attention. He held out his two hands in front of her. "Tell me: which hand has the power to change the world?"

Brightside looked back and forth between the two outstretched palms. From around her, shouts of "Left!" and "Right!" rang out, as everyone around wanted to answer the question for her. As for Lancet, if she had been asked, she would have guessed his right hand. Most people were right-handed, if she recalled the statistics correctly, and one did more things with one's dominant hand. She was pretty sure that Red Robin was right-handed…she was pretty sure…

It did not look like Brightside immediately agreed with that logic. She lifted her hand, hovering it between the two of them, as she contemplated the question. Red Robin merely looked at her with curiosity. After a few moments of hesitation, she pointed to his right hand.

"Interesting choice," Red Robin said.

He lowered his hands and gave her a nod before walking away. More gossip sprung up around her, and Lancet walked back to her place beside the blonde.

"Brightside?" she voiced.

She didn't receive an answer. Felicity was too busy mentally kicking herself.

* * *

"Here is your map and pamphlet," the woman at the registration booth said and handed the items over to the young man in front of her. "Have a good time!"

_Jun, you need to take the map and pamphlet now,_ Zarcen told him, snapping the boy's eyes away from the rest of the fair.

"Oh! Right," he said, taking the papers and then passing through the gates.

Jun glanced around the festival eagerly. He could not _wait_ to talk with the Justice League and other heroes and show off his stuff!

_Where should we go first?_ He asked Zarcen. _The Teen Titans booth? The Justice League History booth? The Powers Comparative booth?_

_I recommend the Young Heroes Booth__,_ Zarcen thought-spoke back. _You may encounter some people your age, which would be very beneficial—_

"Hey! There's Superman!" Jun called out, running over to where the Man of Steel was. Zarcen gave a mental sigh.

Superman must have heard Jun speak, with his superhearing of course, and turned around at the sound of his voice. Once he saw that it was the Blue Gentleman, he smiled wider and waved him over. It then that Jun saw that he had been speaking with a larger number of reporters for several news networks, and he backed up a step. Oh, bad timing…

"Perfect timing," Superman said. He put a hand on Jun's shoulder and brought him up to see the press. "Everyone, this is The Blue Gentleman. He is one of our young heroes-to-be."

"Superman, is he the young man who helped in Metropolis against the Amazo copy last week?" one reporter called out.

"He is, in fact," Superman answered. "He distracted the android long enough for me to ensure that the people inside the Metropolis Insurance building."

"Do you believe there would have been more casualties in that battle if he had not intervened?"

"I have no doubt."

Jun could feel himself shrinking at the attention.

"Blue Gentleman, if I may," another reporter yelled, this time to the younger hero, who startled. "Where is your main city of operation and how did you come about your powers?"

Was he wondering if he was an alien, like everyone knew Superman was, if his powers were natural, or if he was some result of a freak accident?

_Be careful how you answer these questions, Jun_, Zarcen warned him.

"I work mainly in Metropolis, for now. I'm going to move to other places as I get better at crime fighting," Blue Gentleman replied, a little quietly. "As for how I got my powers, that goes with the secret identity thing."

"Superman," another reporter shouted. "What is your opinion on Speaker Emerich's stance of establishing a government-funded school for young heroes?"

"…With the knowledge of the presence of the meta-gene, it is a fair idea," Superman answered. "It would help young heroes know how to handle their powers properly. But I would worry that the focus would become too much on keeping abilities under control rather than what heroes should use them for: fighting crime."

"Oh come now, Superman" a voice called out from the side of the interview. "You don't mean that."

Superman and Blue Gentleman turned their heads towards the voice. Anyone who watched the news, especially recently, would recognize the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Gerald Emerich, anywhere. He stood at a proud five feet, ten inches, with short, cropped brown hair that he had kept from his time in the military. His watched Superman with slightly suspicious brown eyes, which softened when he looked at Jun. His deep forest green suit complimented his natural brown coloring, making him look a bit like a tree. Emerich walked up to the pair, placing himself next to the supers as the press flashed more photographs.

"My proposition would help young heroes learn the ropes of crime fighting," he debated. "The school would allow them to focus on what matters in your profession without the worry of having to keep up with regular students and schooling."

"Normal schooling is a vital part of life, however," Superman disputed back. "Every hero needs a piece of normalcy in his or her life. We are not warriors, and we are not weapons."

_I completely agree with Superman, Jun__,_ Zarcen said to Jun, pointedly.

_Not that again, Zarcen,_ Jun begged. He was stressed enough with the current circumstances. _Not now._

"Surely our younger heroes would appreciate someone to look to if they need help or advice," Emerich continued. "Especially in the event that the Justice League is unavailable. Guidance is just as vital as normalcy."

"There are occasions when one of the League has taken on a student, frequently called a 'sidekick'," Superman countered. "And advice is not limited to those of us in the League. We often ask for help from non-League members as well. Teamwork is another vital part of upholding justice."

"Perhaps you ask for help a little too often than necessary, or desirable. My school would help heroes be more independent and efficient," Emerich persisted. Jun was thinking that he sounded more concerned about this "efficiency" than for the well-being of the heroes themselves. Emerich switched his attention to Jun. "Blue Gentleman, was it? You are one of the League hopefuls, correct? How would you feel about attending such a school?"

Jun paused, a little surprised that he somehow got into the middle of a political debate. He looked at Superman, who offered him a smile and gestured with his hand to answer the question. It would seem that he wanted to know Jun's opinion himself. No pressure or anything.

_How should I answer this, Zarcen?_ He wondered.

_Just tell the truth, Jun,_ the alien in his head replied. _Honesty is a commendable trait, and worth acting upon._

_That doesn't help a whole lot,_ Jun thought for just a minute more before answering.

"I understand your point, Speaker," he said to Emerich, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible. The press continued to fervently write down every word that was being exchanged between the three men. "But I don't think a school would be the best way to do it."

"How do you mean?" Emerich asked, earnestly.

"Well, most of my skills come from practice, and sure you could get that from a teacher," Blue Gentleman argued. "But a lot more of it comes from learning from experience. Yeah, I make mistakes, but how else can I learn?"

"I worry that making mistakes may cost innocents their lives," Emerich said gently. "You can understand that, of course?"

"Of course I can," Blue Gentleman conceded that one point. It was one of the philosophies he took to heart. "But I also understand that training is very important for what we do. Reading about something in a book or doing it in a classroom is very different from doing something in real life. You can't get that cooped up in a school. It's too restricted. And that's what people like Superman and the Justice League are for. I…I can always go to them if I need help."

_Maybe you are taking in my advice more than I previously thought,_ Zarcen said, mentally smiling.

Speaker Emerich stared at Jun for a moment, his face not betraying anything. The politician looked to be deciding whether or not to continue to debate the issue. Blue Gentleman averted his gaze, avoiding the Speaker and the photographers. Had he spoken too far out of turn?

"I am more than glad that a young citizen such as yourself is willing to express his opinion like this," he said at last. "Thank you for your input, Superman, Blue Gentleman."

Jun wasn't entirely sure if he had been complimented or insulted. Whatever the case, Speaker Emerich gave a smile and a nod to the two heroes and the press and then headed off back towards his entourage. Superman said a few more words to the reporters while Blue Gentleman stood near the back, deciding that he had had enough publicity for the day. Superman was done a few minutes later and took Jun aside again. The young man smiled; this was a lot like what happened the other day.

"I didn't think that introducing you to the press would cause that sort of commotion," the Man of Steel proclaimed. "I'm sorry I pulled you into that. Seems I'm pulling you into quite a few undesirable moments, huh?"

"It's okay," Blue Gentleman said, still a little nervous. "You couldn't know."

"It's good to see you here though, Blue Gentleman," Superman stated. "I was hoping you were going to come see about early admittance interviews."

"Early admittance interviews?"

"We are giving interviews to anyone under the age of eighteen who is interested in future Justice League membership or partnership," the older man explained. "You can go to the Young Heroes Booth on the southern side of the grounds for one if you'd like. I think it would do us both some good."

"You really think I could be a member one day?" Jun asked a little timidly.

"Of course, if what I've seen you do against crime in Metropolis is any indication," Superman affirmed. "You have potential."

"I-I think I will," he finally spoke.

"I will see you there later then," Superman told him before taking off to the air.

Jun watched the celebrity hero fly off for a moment. He couldn't move, still in a little shock over what had happened. It was not unusual for him to end up on the news, but he had never been blatantly interviewed before, let alone interviewed alongside the likes of Superman and one of the most powerful politicians in the United States Government.

_Breathe, Jun,_ Zarcen instructed. It was only then that Jun noticed he was hyperventilating. _Deep breaths, in and out._

_Deep breaths,_ he echoed. He took a few moments to breathe before he realized what Superman had just told him. _I have potential…I have potential!_

_Yes, Jun,_ Zarcen thought, half-jokingly. _You have potential._

_Oh, come on, Zarcen!_ Jun replied. _You've got to admit it's cool that Superman would say that!_

_Focus now, Jun,_ the alien requested. _I stress again, why don't you head off to see your peers?_

_Oh, right, right,_ he agreed. _The interview. This is going to be great!_

_And meeting your peers?_

_That too._ Jun was not nearly as enthusiastic about that part, it would seem.

* * *

Lancet watched as Red Robin went around testing some of the other younger heroes in their various abilities. It seemed that no matter what skills each teen had, no one was able to take down Red Robin for more than a few seconds. This was not a huge surprise, considering what little she did know about the Bat family. Their notoriety had spread even to Europe, on the occasion that they did some crime fighting work there. Red Robin had been trained by the best at taking out people with natural abilities that were far beyond what he could do. In fact, he seemed to revel in the fact that he required no superpowers to be an effective superhero, although not to the point where he was arrogant about it.

The fact that he was testing the waters of all the teens there did not escape her notice either, and Lancet was quick to point this out to Brightside in hopes of making the slightly older girl feel better. Unlike her brother Olivia was not looking to join any group, but she figured it was likely that Brightside was, if her disappointment at her perceived failure of Red Robin's test was any sign.

"Hey, why don't we practice sparring?" she suggested to her new friend.

"I, uh, don't have any training," Brightside responded a moment later.

"Really? None at all?" Lancet asked. When the blonde shook her head, she smiled. "No problem. I can teach you. But no powers, okay?"

Brightside laughed. "I think I can handle that."

"Okay, so we'll start with the basics," Lancet began. She was quickly stopped by the sound of shocked screaming. It wasn't frightened screaming, but more of the kind that one would shout out when something unexpected happened. "What on earth…?"

The pair turned towards the location of the screaming. Someone had jumped the encircling fence, riding a horse. The chestnut gelding galloped through the crowds, avoiding the people but still moving quickly. The young man riding the horse looked around urgently, clearly searching for something or someone. Many of the nearby people yelled at him to watch where he was going and to control the horse, but they went ignored.

The young man in question was just about six feet in height, maybe a little shorter, with a build that suggested someone with some amount of physical training. His pale skin matched his near off-white locks, and his light brown eyes seemed to be the only color on his face. While on the saddle, he wore long-sleeved shirt and trousers that were a very pale, pastel green color, and an off-white, form-fitting cloak with a hood flailed behind him as he rode. He controlled the horse with small kicks with the white combat boots on his feet, though not enough to cause the horse any serious injury. He carried a small pack on his back, and the bottom half of his left trousers had small specks of red littering the white fabric.

He seemed to spot the person he was looking for and leapt from the horse. He rushed over to Red Robin, who must have been the first person associated with the Justice League he saw.

"Red Robin!" he called, placing himself in front of the hero's sight. "I have to talk to you."

The man in question paused, sizing up the boy before recognition filled his eyes. "You're Haunt, aren't you?"

"That's right," Haunt confirmed. "Please, this is really important. It's about the disappearances."

The elder hero looked around and pulled Haunt to the side. "Over here. Keep your voice down."

The two went off next to one of the abandoned booths with a hooded tent, trying to give themselves as much privacy as possible. Oddly enough, no one seemed intent on finding out about this boy; most of the surrounding people were whispering to each other or trying to deal with the now loose horse. Brightside and Lancet glanced at each other.

"What on in the world was that about?" Brightside wondered aloud.

"Want to find out?" Lancet offered. As Brightside cocked her head to the side in curiosity, Olivia reached into her utility belt and pulled out two small contraptions that to Felicity looked like hearing aids. She stuck one of them in her ear and passed the other to Brightside. "Sound amplifiers. We should be able to hear what they're saying with these."

"I don't know about eavesdropping on a Leaguer," Brightside cautioned.

"They won't know," the other replied. And with that, Lancet turned her attention to listening in on the conversation.

"—And I made my way here," she heard the tail-end of Haunt's explanation. "I'm not sure who's behind the kidnappings, but I'm sure The Collector is working with whoever it is. The Collector is taking the younger superheroes, and his boss is taking the adult ones."

"And he's getting desperate," Red Robin concluded. "If he can't capture the heroes, he settles for killing them instead."

"I'm sure he's going to go after the heroes here too," Haunt added. "It's too tempting. The Collector said something about an attack, but he never said anything about details."

"Yes, Batman and I were aware of this," Red Robin concurred. "I will tell him and the League immediately, and we're going to get everyone out of here."

"Looks like we've got a big problem," Brightside said. "I didn't know any heroes were disappearing."

"Me neither," Lancet admitted. "But we don't always get American news back home. What do you think—?"

Whatever Lancet was about to say was cut off by more shrieking. She hoped that did not start to become a theme of the day. The lancer glanced around as the sky darkened, as if clouds were blocking the sunlight…except that the clouds were not covering the sun. Olivia looked up and saw that a giant black force field in the shape of a dome had begun to cover the field, stopping just next to the registration booths and before the fence. Most of the natural light from the sun was blocked, although there was still enough so the people inside the dome were not in pitch black darkness.

Multiple boom tubes opened around numerous points inside the dome, releasing what appeared to be animate (though perhaps not living) constructs of elements. Some appeared to be made of earth, water, air and fire, while there were others that looked more like beings of electricity, wood and ice. The creatures were humanoid in form, with faceless and earless heads and no clothing.

They began running around and attacking as many people, hero or not, as possible using their respective elemental abilities. Ice was being thrown around, freezing many supers in place, while others were being burned, and roots and vines were coming up through the ground from the plant constructs to bind and trap some of the civilians. The earth constructs were causing small earthquakes and knocking people around while the air constructs were blowing people into the air and then back onto the ground, and the water elementals were flooding any areas where water could reach.

The non-powered civilians began shouting and running around in a panic. Many of them banged against the dome wall only to be repelled back. Some of the younger heroes who were less experienced did the same. The more experienced ones went for attacking the elemental constructs directly and protecting as many of the helpless ones as they could.

Lancet held her lance at the ready and rushed to take out one of the elementals while Brightside took to the air. Olivia thrust her spear, steel tip sharp, at one of the constructs that was made out of air, which took the appearance of a humanoid twister. One swipe of her small javelin dissipated the wind, making Lancet think that the wind constructs were possibly the weakest. She saw, out of the corner of her eye, Brightside send some of her Searing Rays at the ones made of ice. Unsurprisingly, the rays had enough heat to melt the ice. Red Robin may not have acted impressed, but Olivia certainly was.

Around her more heroes started to follow the trend and fight the elementals, and thankfully they were all able to determine who was most effective against what kind. The heroes that controlled fire went against the ice and wood constructs and avoided the water ones, a few speedsters used their speed to their advantage against the much slower earth constructs, some of the heroes with gadgets like Lancet focused on the wind and water ones, and Lancet was happy to see one terrakinetic focus on the beings made of electricity. Those with telekinesis were keeping the plant constructs from touching the ground and using their roots against anyone, and force fields were being thrown left and right to block any fireballs flying through the air.

It seemed like everyone was playing to their strengths as best as possible.

Lancet backed up away from one of the wood constructs, keeping herself out of its range as she grabbed one of the cartridges on her shoulder strap and inserting it into a slot in the spear shaft close to the midpoint. The steel on the end suddenly caught on fire, forming flames around the tip. She launched herself at the construct, setting the wood on fire and slicing through it. It crashed to the ground in a pile of smoldering embers.

With her current foe taken care of, Lancet backed away and glanced around for her next target. Something hit her back and she stopped. Spinning around, she readied her spear for another attack only to have it parried by someone with a bo staff, which was black in color and with a steel cap on the end. The young man with the staff wore a blue suit jacket and blue dress trousers with a red shirt. A blue domino mask blocked her from seeing his eyes.

Lancet lowered her weapon. "Sorry."

The boy looked at her for a moment, seemingly staring at her and looking pensive. Olivia met his gaze and narrowed her eyes. What was he looking at?

He abruptly moved his gaze to behind her and, with a small gasp, pushed her out of the way.

"Look out!" he shouted, and threw out a hand. Lancet watched as the earth construct that had snuck up on her was thrown back by what was apparently some form of telekinesis. The boy looked a little tired at the motion, but quickly recovered. He turned back to the young woman. "Sorry for pushing you. Are you all right?"

"Just fine, no problem," she reassured him. She stood and held her spear at her side again. "Thanks. I'm Lancet. And you are?"

"Blue Gentleman," he replied with a very wide smile. "At your service."

The introductions were cut short by a loud scream, and the two turned to see two of the larger water elementals had begun to literally swallow some of the fairgoers. Lancet spotted the white-haired boy (Haunt, she recalled his name) had also been trapped in one of them, while the second had two other people who looked to be normal civilians. Lancet moved to the one that kept Haunt prisoner while Blue Gentleman focused on the one with the civilians. Lancet removed the fire cartridge from her spear and replaced it with one of her electricity cartridges. The tip became charged with lightning, and sparks started being emitted from the conducting metal point. However, upon second thought, she realized that shocking the water construct while someone was inside was probably not the brightest idea.

This problem did not last, however. She watched as Haunt opened his mouth, releasing all his air out of his mouth. Strangely, the water construct began to vibrate and grabbed its head. It splattered outwards (probably in the form closest to an explosion), releasing Haunt and throwing him to the ground. Lancet rushed over to him and helped him up.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he sputtered out, gasping for breath and wiping water out of his face. "Thanks."

As Olivia was helping Haunt to his feet, both of them were too occupied to see one of the fire constructs sneak up behind them. It raised one of its arms and began to swing it down in a slash of flames. Lancet spotted it just in time to push Haunt out of the way, leaving her open to the attack. The flames came down on her, hitting her shoulder armor and extending onto her arm. It was enough that it didn't hurt her too bad, but it did leave a rather nasty burn on her left arm. She retaliated with a swipe of her spear. Since it was still charged with electricity it wasn't very effective, but it did buy enough time for Brightside to fly over and it hit with one of her Searing Rays. Although also based on heat, it was enough to dissipate the fire creature. Lancet gave Brightside a wave, which was returned before the blonde flew off for more battling.

Lancet looked at her arm, gingerly touching the burn that was starting to blister slightly. Her armor had protected her enough that the wound wouldn't keep her from fighting, but it certainly hurt. Haunt saw what she was doing and walked back over to her.

"Hold on," he said. He placed his hand on the injury, and his hand began to glow. Visually, nothing happened, but Olivia noticed that it certainly stopped being painful. It was as if she didn't feel the burn anymore. She swung her lance around a little and found that she was able to use her arm with no pain at all. Haunt gave a gasp and held onto his own corresponding arm.

"What's wrong?" Lancet asked, concerned.

"Nevermind," Haunt insisted, pretending his arm wasn't bothering him. "Keep fighting."

With that, Haunt rushed off to battle more elementals, leaving Lancet to do the same. She reset her spear back to default mode and went after another air construct. What the hell were these things and where did they come from?

"Lancet!" the voice of her brother yelled out. She turned to the voice's origin to see Fletcher rushing towards her, shooting trick arrows at any of the constructs that he passed by. He stopped next to her and the pair put their backs to each other, as they had trained themselves to do while fighting crime in Edinburgh. With another released arrow, Kegan turned his head to her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she replied. "Nothing I can't handle."

"That's a nasty burn there, sis," Fletcher told her, shooting one of his explosive arrows at an ice construct. "Mum and Da will kill me if you get hurt."

"Don't worry," Lancet comforted. She struck her spear into another foe, this one made of wood. "I got some help from my fellow heroes."

"Not much help if one of them can't heal you properly," he said, half joking and half criticizing.

"But he took away the pain," she argued back. "I can still fight. Isn't that enough?"

"Stay close to me," Fletcher ordered with a smile, ignoring the previous statement.

It was a few moments and fights later that the dome seemed to dissolve, allowing the sun to shine bright onto the festival grounds again. Lancet had to block its brightness with her hand for a moment because her eyes had become adjusted to the dark created by the dome. It allowed her to see that many of the elemental constructs had been defeated, although there were still plenty running around causing damage. Most of the people who had been closer to the dome borders all rushed out of the festival as quickly as they could.

This change also allowed her to see the giant spaceship. It was about the size of a Boeing seven forty-seven, but it moved as quickly as one of the Martian ships. Deep midnight blue in color, it reminded her a little of The Reach spaceships that she had seen photographs of in history books, although it looked less like a bug and was more streamline in shape. On the bottom part was a large, rotating cannon with what looked like a blue crystal at the end.

The cannon started spinning around, shooting out blasts of blue energy from the crystal. The beams were aimed only at the established heroes, leaving the normal civilians alone. The beams did not harm anyone (at least it didn't look like it), but with every shot the person on the receiving end simply disappeared in thin air. There was nothing left of each person after being attacked; no clothing, no ashes, or anything at all. What on earth…?

What seemed even worse was that members of the Justice League were not immune to the cannon's effects. She saw two Green Lanterns rise up to attack the ship only to be dissipated with a few blasts, and Captain Marvel and Red Tornado were close behind. Wonder Woman and Superman managed to dodge a few of the attacks and give the spaceship a few good punches, but they were eventually caught in the line of fire as well, dematerializing into nothing.

The cannon then pointed itself in her direction. Olivia froze in fear as the weapon charged up and sent a blue beam towards her. Time seemed to move in slow motion as she was pushed out of the way and onto the ground. She shook her head to clear it and grabbed her spear, which had fallen beside her. She looked up in time to see that Fletcher had been the one to push her out of the way of the blast, taking it for himself. She watched in horror as her brother vanished before her eyes.

Lancet stared at the place where Fletcher had stood not minutes ago, unable to tear her eyes away.

_No… _she thought. _No way…_

With this distraction, Olivia did not notice one of the earth constructs start to pound on the ground, causing it to shake violently in an extreme earthquake. She wobbled on her feet and tried to jump to stable ground, all the while trying to avoid the blasts from the cannon that were still aiming for her. She managed to dodge the beams, but it was exhausting to jump around and land on terrain that was still moving.

_Fletcher's right. I have _got_ to start paying more attention to my surroundings,_ Lancet admitted as she tried to stabilize herself by jamming her lance into the ground. She looked up as the cannon aimed at her again. _Oh crap…_

Just as the beam was about to hit her, it was blocked by another dome surrounding her, this time much smaller and swirling in various colors. Lancet glanced up to see Brightside right above her, holding up her hands, and she realized that she was blocking the attacks with her shield. The dreadlocked girl kept up the force field as the ship fired at the pair three more times, grunting with each impact.

"Can you keep that up?" Lancet inquired, a little nervously.

"Not much longer," Brightside confessed. "That thing really packs a punch."

The earth elemental stomped on the ground again, and Lancet completely lost her footing as the ground split, creating a small chasm beneath her. She tumbled into the crevice, and to keep the force field around the two of them Brightside flew down to follow her. Clearly the shield could block attacks but not stop people from passing through it. The walls of the chasm crumbled around them as the construct continued to strike the earth, and the two could only watch as the ground seemed to swallow them up.

The light from the surface was blocked by the stones that covered them, the force field being the only thing that stopped either of them from being crushed, and they were thrown into complete darkness.


	5. The Battle's Aftermath

A/N: All right, slightly boring chapter alert. This was originally going to be longer, but I decided to stop it where I did because I was worried I was dumping too much information again. I know there's a little confusion about Haunt's powers, but there's some mention of them here and they will also be explained at bit more in the next chapter. Also, for the other characters that I have confirmed but haven't made an appearance yet, don't worry, I haven't forgotten them. I'm just waiting for a more appropriate time to introduce them.

Since I've kind of built up a number of ways to represent different methods of communication, I decided to include an explanation here to prevent any confusion.

_Italics alone represent thoughts._

_Italics and underline represent Zarcen's thought-speech with Jun._

"**Bold in quotation marks represent communication through a mind-link."**

_**Italics and bold represent either a flashback or one of Kieran's Psychic Impression scenes (which are sort of like flashbacks).**_

* * *

_Hall of Justice, Washington, D.C._

_July 19, 16:09 EDT_

Haunt woke up to the sight of canvas and aluminum rods. He was trapped under something that pinned his legs to the ground, although not with enough weight that it was painful or that he could not move. The only thing that was distinctly hurting was his left leg from his previous injury and his right shoulder, from when he had taken away the pain from the burn that spear-wielding girl had receiving from one of the fire elementals.

_Uh, why do Pain Transfers for burns hurt so much more than cuts or punches?_ He thought to himself.

He pushed the remains of the tent off his legs as he tried to recall what had happened. He had rode into the festival and spoken with Red Robin, and only minutes later the fair had been raided by the elemental constructs. They were the same ones that had attacked him and his father back in Sacramento with The Collector. It must have been the same person behind both incidents. Problem was he didn't know who that person was.

Haunt remembered fighting alongside Red Robin for a bit before being swallowed by one of the larger water constructs. He managed to free himself, and that was when he met the lancer girl. Once he had left her he had battled as many of the elementals as he could, but with so many people around he couldn't use his Panic Wail without affecting everyone else around him. The last thing he wanted was to cause one of his fellow heroes a heart attack. He had some martial arts training, but it was only so effective against foes that, for the most part, could not be touched without hurting himself. Instead, he had gone around trying to defend anyone he could, pushing people out of the way of the spaceship's cannon, and using his Pain Transfer ability to remove the pain of any injuries someone may have. This last strategy of course left hurting pretty badly.

At some point, he had been knocked down by one of the elementals of air, blowing him into one of the tents and into unconsciousness. How long had he been out? The sun was still up, but he could tell it was getting closer to evening time.

He looked around the remains of the festival. The ground had been torn apart, with spires of rock scattered throughout the area. Most of booths and tents had been burned down, covering the ground with smoldering wood and canvas, and the ones that had not been were torn apart and spread everywhere. Piles of remaining food from some of the food booths were rotting in the lingering sun, while banners and signs had fallen and joined the debris on the ground. Some areas were soaked from the water constructs while others were covered by ice, and random vines were the only things binding some of the ruins together. Haunt could have sworn that some of the metal beams that had been the supporting structures for the tents were still sparking a little from the electricity elementals.

There were no signs of any living person though. Haunt was surrounded by absolute silence, as if he was standing in the ruins of an ancient civilization that had been destroyed by some disaster…which honestly, if the word "ancient" was removed, that was exactly what had happened. Whatever that cannon had done, it had taken the greatest superheroes the world had known from him. There was no sign of the Justice League or any of the non-League heroes. Everyone was gone.

As the young man stood and walked around, he stumbled across the remains of one of the earth elementals. Haunt picked up what looked like the creature's head. He stared at its faceless visage, wondering what connection these things had to The Collector. Who made them? How many were there? What was so special about these beasts? He had neither heard of nor seen anything like them before, and his father never mentioned them to him.

_Well, one way to find out,_ he supposed. With that thought, he activated his Psychic Impression.

_**Haunt's vision was blurred by a swipe of white light, taking over his eyes and blinding him to his surroundings. In its place, he began to see a darker room, which was likely a research laboratory if the number of chemicals, computers, beakers, and animal cages were any indication. The earth elemental stood at attention in the center of the room, its stony structure looking very out of place in the more technologically advanced setting around it. This must be where this construct last was before the raid on the festival.**_

_**Before him was a young man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He had short but messy blond hair, which was held back by a thick, blue headband. He had a moderate amount of jeweled armor on his chest, shoulders and arms, with protective gloves on his hands of the same color. His stomach was left unprotected except for what looked like a light blue body suit, lighter in color than the rest of the armor. There was a pitch black whip help at his side. His narrow blue eyes matches his short scowl as he stared at what Haunt knew to be the creature whose head he held in his hands. It was like watching a movie or a show on television.**_

_**Behind the blond man was a face Haunt recognized well. The man was in his very late thirties in age, with short but still styled back deep brown hair. Unlike the other man, his armor encased most of his body in a deep black shell. His eyes could not be seen behind the black visor he wore, but Haunt knew they were a muddy brown color. He wore heavy combat boots, which looked to be well-insulated against any attack from the ground.**_

_**Haunt could have growled. The Collector.**_

_**The blond stood back from the elemental and turned to The Collector. "There. That's one hundred and twelve total. Sixteen of each kind."**_

"_**Good. Then we're ready for battle," The Collector stated. "Our employer will be ready with the Zeta Cannon on his ship this afternoon. We could have attacked this morning if your golems had been ready quicker."**_

"_**Hey, you could've offered up those 'children' of yours to fight instead of waiting around for my golems," the blond argued.**_

"_**My children are not ready for battle yet," The Collector snarled. "I am not going to put them at risk like that."**_

"_**Not at risk that one will escape you mean," the other declared.**_

"_**Enough you two," a slick voice came from the doorway. It was dark, so Haunt couldn't exactly see who it was. What he could see was that the man was taller than the other two and wore a set of blood-colored armor that covered every inch of his body. The only thing that was different was the visor he wore, which was deep sea blue. Haunt couldn't see his eyes through the visor eyepiece. On each of his hands, at the level of the palm, the gloves had a small blue orb embedded in the armor metal. "We are almost in place. Stop your arguing and get into position."**_

"_**Yes sir," the blond muttered. The Collector said nothing, but nodded.**_

"_**I'm peckish for some bloodshed," the man in red armor said to himself, almost in a hungry tone. "This better not be a waste of my time."**_

The scene ended, and Haunt found himself back at the festival ruins. He dropped the earth elemental's head. He knew The Collector was a part of this debacle, but he didn't recognize the other two men. One of them referred to the constructs as his "golems." He must be the one in control of these odd creations, meaning he was behind the attacks themselves. However, there was also that mention of an "employer." The Collector and the other two men must be working for that person, whoever he or she was.

Haunt looked around the present-day scene again and closed his eyes.

_If only I had gotten here sooner, warned them sooner,_ Kieran berated himself. _Damn it, Collector! This is your fault! Yours and your boss!_

Kieran walked around the remains of the festival grounds, searching for any sign that someone survived. The area was large enough that it would take some time to search the whole complex, but what choice did he have?

"**Hello?"** Kieran heard a voice say in his head. He jerked his gaze up. **"Can anyone hear me?"**

"**I hear you,"** he thought back. **"This is a mind-link. Who and where are you?"**

"**You **_**can**_** hear me! Great!" **the voice thought-spoke. **"Sorry about the mental intrusion, but I needed to know if I could find anyone at all. I'm by the largest canyon near the center of the festival."**

Haunt looked and easily found the canyon in question, which split the festival grounds in half. He started running in that direction. **"Are you hurt?"**

"**No, I'm just looking for anyone who might still be alive," **the voice replied. **"How about you? Are you hurt?"**

"**Nothing serious,"** Haunt answered, ignoring the throbbing in his leg and shoulder. He arrived at the edge of the canyon and looked around. He spotted a young man decked in blue on the other side. He rushed closer to him and called to him from over the canyon. "Are you the one with the mind-link?"

"Yeah, that's me!" the boy yelled back. "Can you fly?"

"No, sorry!"

"Then I'm going to levitate you over, okay?"

Haunt gave him the okay, and felt himself being lifted by what he could recognize as telekinesis. He was carried over the wide canyon to where the other boy was standing. He gasped a little when he landed, a little unused to moving around that way, and then straightened his spine.

"Blue Gentleman," the boy in blue introduced, holding out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Haunt," he responded, taking the hand for a single shake. "Have you mind-linked anyone else?

"Not yet, I haven't been able to get anyone else. I'll try again," Blue Gentleman said. He held a hand up to his head in concentration. A few moments of silence passed. "Okay, I'm in contact with someone. There are two girls trapped somewhere. One of them is keeping them safe with a force field."

"Where are they?"

"…Underground," Blue Gentleman replied. He walked over to the canyon edge. "Down there. Is it okay if I levitate you again?"

Haunt gave his consent, and the two of them flew down to a small ledge about twenty feet down from the surface. Blue Gentleman lowered him onto the ledge, but kept himself flying. The spot next to the outcropping was covered in large rocks, with a few of them being as long as Haunt was tall. The white-haired boy glanced around.

"The area must have collapsed during one of the earthquakes," Haunt deduced. "You said there are two survivors?"

"Yeah, right here," Blue Gentleman answered, using his telekinesis to start to move some of the boulders. "There should be a shield here somewhere."

"We'll just have to dig until we reach it," Haunt said, physically moving the stones he could lift.

The two boys dug as quickly as they could. Who knew how long these survivors had been buried after all…they could easily be running out of oxygen. Haunt began to dig more furiously. It was about ten minutes later that Kieran found himself face-to-face with a force field of swirling colors and a pair of green eyes above a smattering of freckles.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Fine," the blonde girl replied, sounding a little short of breath. "Can you just get us out of here?"

The two boys managed to unearth the rest of the force field, and Haunt spotted another girl with a lance and red hair lower down. The red-head reached her hand through the shield (Haunt wasn't sure how that was possible), and he took it to pull her out of the crevice and onto the ledge. The blonde girl pushed herself out of the fissure and released the shield, causing the crevice to collapse behind her. Without saying anything, the blonde grabbed the red-head and flew up to the surface. Haunt and Blue Gentleman looked at each other, shrugged, and followed them, with Blue Gentleman levitating Haunt again.

When the four arrived back at the top, the blonde set the lancer down and leaned over her knees, panting a little.

"Are you all right?" Haunt asked her.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said. "Thought we'd not get out of there in time."

"In time?" the other girl inquired.

"…I didn't want to tell you before, but my powers are based on how long I'm been in or out of the sun," the dreadlocked girl explained. "If we had been down there, in the dark, for too long, my shield would have eventually stopped working."

"Well, good thing these guys came when they did," the red-head said with a smile. She turned to Jun. "Blue Gentleman, right?"

"That's me," Jun confirmed. "You're Lancet."

"You remembered," Lancet's smile widened. "And you're Haunt. This is Brightside."

"Hi," said the blonde.

"So, what happened?" Lancet wondered.

"Not sure. I was just hanging out by the Young Heroes Booth when the earthquakes started and that ship appeared," Blue Gentleman responded. He paused for a minute. "That ship…that gun took out the entire League!"

"I saw it too," Lancet concurred. "My…My brother was hit by it…"

"Your brother?" Jun questioned. Olivia nodded and stared at the ground.

"He was…seeing if he could join the Justice League when the ship appeared," she described. "We were fighting those…things…"

"The elementals?" Haunt offered.

"Yeah," Lancet replied. "The ship showed up, and he pushed me out of the way."

"That was right before I found you, huh?" said Brightside.

_Her brother…_ Jun thought. _Well, damn…_

_I think you should catch her, Jun,_ Zarcen suggested. _She looks like she's about to faint._

Indeed, Lancet's legs were shaking and she was placing quite a bit of weight on her spear to keep herself standing. He moved forward to assist her but Haunt made it to her more quickly, helping her slowly fall to her knees. The young woman had her eyes shut tight, trying to stop any tears from escaping.

_Fletcher…Kegan…_ she whispered in her head.

"That cannon thing hit her brother instead of her," Brightside explained, not to anyone in particular. "It got him, the other heroes, the Justice League itself…"

"I saw it get even Superman," Blue Gentleman muttered, still in shock himself. "That thing had the power to take down Superman…"

Olivia was shaking by this point, not just in grief but in rage. "I don't care if that thing has the power to blow up the planet! When I find the guy who did this to Fletcher, I'm taking him down!"

"Lancet, don't talk like that," Jun instructed, kindly but firmly. He kneeled in front of her. "Getting revenge is not the way to go. Whoever this person is, if you kill him you're no better than he is."

"…I know. I'm not going to kill him," Olivia clarified. "I just…I want to make him pay. I'm going to—"

"It won't come to that," Haunt interrupted. "I don't think your brother—or anyone who was hit with that cannon—is dead."

"How do you know that?" Brightside questioned him.

Haunt looked like he was about to answer when another person shouted out to them. "Hey!"

* * *

_Twenty minutes earlier…_

"…And Green Arrow gone, too," Red Robin finally listed off the last of the Justice League members that were now missing.

"Of the entire League," Batman inquired. "Who's left?"

"Zatanna, Mercury and one of the Green Lanterns."

"Which one?"

"Kyle Rayner."

"Oh, of all the Lanterns," Batman mused. "Anyone else?"

"Of the active ones, no. There are the retired members of course," Red Robin continued. "And there are the members who weren't here today. That includes Oracle, Kalder, Superboy, Miss Martian, La'gaan, Static, Speedy, the Tornado Twins, Flash and Robin…sorry, _Nightwing_. Mercury and Flash are out looking for anyone else."

"So including the two of us," the Dark Knight concluded. "Sixteen."

"Sixteen, plus the number of heroes, who aren't members of the League, that managed to survive the attack," Red Robin corrected. "…I warned you this would happen."

"I know. Trust me, I know," Batman conceded. "I thought it would force our enemy out into the open, giving us a chance to at least identify him. I was wrong. I should've known better."

"This person is always one step ahead of us," said Tim. "And who knows what he's going to do with all the captured heroes."

"That's what we need to find out," Dick replied. "That's what we need a new Team for."

"That's my job, I presume?" Red Robin said.

"Was there any doubt?"

"I did come across a number of prospects today, before the attack," Tim informed. "Assuming that any of them survived, I will try and recruit them."

"We'll have to wait for Mercury and Flash's report first," Batman decided.

"How about the Speaker?" Tim inquired. The last time he had seen Speaker Emerich had been before the invasion, and he wasn't sure if he was safe. If one of the most powerful politicians had been hurt or killed during the festival…he didn't even want to consider the backlash that would inevitably occur. "Is he safe?"

"He is," Batman comforted him. "I was able to protect him, and get him out once the dome fell."

"Thank goodness for small favors."

"I agree," said the Dark Knight. He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "So, analysis of the cannon?"

Red Robin activated his holographic computer, bringing up the translucent screen in front of him and his older partner. He brought up the files from the scanning and analyses he had performed earlier that day, just after the attack had ceased.

"There are strong traces of Zeta-Beam radiation all over the area where the dome had covered the festival," he accounted. "The strongest traces are located about three hundred meters in the sky, roughly where that ship was located. No doubt the cannon fire was based off Zeta-Beam technology."

This sounded far too familiar to Dick, who was suddenly brought back to a day nearly twenty-six years ago, during what he now knew was a false scenario but still stuck in his mind as if it happened yesterday.

"_**It's giving off Zeta-Beams, the same stuff that powers our Zeta Tubes," Kid Flash declared, grabbing Robin's shoulder with excitement. "This thing doesn't disintegrate, it teleports! Artemis is alive!"**_

"_**Maybe, but—" Robin muttered in thought-speak.**_

"_**No maybe! They're all alive!" Wally retorted.**_

Batman shook his head slightly, trying to rid himself of that memory. It was too similar to what happened five years after that, and now again over twenty years later.

"Batman! Red Robin!" a female voice cried. The two turned their heads just in time to see the Flash, Irey West, stop in front of them. The youngest speedster looked between the two with her bright green eyes that she had inherited from her father, and Batman stopped himself from sighing. So much for being rid of old memories. "Mercury and I found some survivors. A bunch of teens."

"Are any of them hurt?" Red Robin asked.

"Not badly," Flash replied. "More shook up than anything. That Haunt kid is with them."

"Bring them over here," Red Robin ordered. Flash gave a mock-salute and sped off again. He turned to Batman. "Maybe they can tell us about what they saw."

"Haunt is here?" Batman asked. He knew the younger hero through his father, having worked with Ghostwise himself some time ago.

"He came to warn us about the attack, but unfortunately came too late," the younger man informed. "The elementals appeared moments later. We didn't have the chance to respond."

"If he's survived, he may be a good recruit for the Team," Batman decided.

Mercury and Flash returned a few moments later, with Haunt, Brightside, Blue Gentleman and Lancet right behind them (or as close to behind them as the four could follow the two speedsters). Red Robin regarded the quartet for a moment, breathing a sigh of relief that these four were still there. He knew Haunt from the boy's father, he had heard of Blue Gentleman from Superman, and he had interviewed both Brightside and Lancet himself. It really shouldn't have come as a surprise that these four had managed fight off the enemies well enough to have survived.

They did, however, look a little worse for wear. Haunt had an injured left leg and was bleeding, although Red Robin had noticed this injury from before the raid. The white-haired boy was also soaked; he must have had an encounter with one of the water constructs. Brightside was probably the least injured or exhausted, but she was definitely breathing hard and looked like she could do with a warm meal. Blue Gentleman had a few cuts and bruises, mostly on his face, and was carrying his bo staff a little loosely. Lancet's armor was dulled and had a few blood smears, and the cloth part of her costume was torn in multiple places, revealing a rather bad burn injury on her right shoulder. She was using her spear to support a lot of her weight, and her expression was one of shock and sorrow. In fact, it looked like she would collapse at any moment.

Red Robin rushed over to her. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, okay," she murmured a reply. "I'm…okay."

"Flash, would you bring these four to the Hall of Justice?" Batman requested. "Take them somewhere they can sit or lie down?"

"Sure thing," Flash said, and gestured for the group to follow. Brightside stayed close to Lancet as they followed the newest Scarlet Speedster into the Hall on the other side of the complex.

"I'm going to finish scanning the area," Batman proclaimed. "Red Robin, see to the new recruits. Mercury, you…Mercury?"

Bart startled for a moment. His gaze spun from Irey, whom he had been watching walk away with the four younger heroes, to the Dark Knight.

"Uh, what?"

"Mercury, you keep looking for survivors," Batman continued as if Bart had been listening the whole time. "Report any back to the Hall of Justice."

The two slightly younger superheroes both nodded, and Batman took his leave. Red Robin was about to return to the Hall when he noticed that Mercury had not moved one bit. He was back to watching the retreating back of Flash, who was now nearly out of sight. Mercury had gained some level of patience over the years but he never moved this slowly when given an order, especially from Batman.

"Bart," Tim said, and the speedster looked at him, this time less startled. "You're thinking about Wally again."

"Twenty years," Bart mused. "And every time I see Irey, I still can't help but think that he should be the one training her."

"You can't keep blaming yourself for that," Tim insisted. "It was so long ago. There was nothing you could have done different."

"If I had slowed down, like Barry said," Bart protested. "Drawn some of the energy from the chrysalis away from Wally like he said—"

"Bart, stop," he ordered. He put both hands on the slightly shorter man's shoulders. "There was nothing you could have done differently. You know that. We've been through this."

"..You're right. I know, I just need reminding sometimes," the other admitted. "…Blue still blames himself, you know."

"Blue Beetle blames a lot on himself," Red Robin said. "You two really need to work on your guilt trips. It's been twenty years."

"This coming from one of the kids trained by the original Batman, the most guilt-ridden man on the planet?" Mercury joked, back to his normal self. "Or on a couple of planets, probably."

Tim smiled. "I need to go speak with those kids."

"Let Irey know I'd like to see her when she's got a minute?"

"Of course."

* * *

Flash led the group of four teens into the Hall of Justice, passing by some of the displays in the museum and into the library. Brightside looked up at the open windows that lead to the observation deck, noting that it was still daylight outside. Glancing at a clock, she saw that it was nearly five in the evening, still early enough for the sun to be out during the summer months. Still, it seemed to her much later than it really was.

"Please have a seat," Flash requested. "Make yourselves comfortable. One of the League will be here shortly to ask you a few questions about what happened."

Felicity did not want to think about what happened today. After the day she had just had, she would have liked nothing more than to head for her hotel room and crash on the bed there. That had to be the most fighting she had ever done in her life. Felicity was not used to it, and having to maintain her shield over herself and Lancet for as long as she did completely drained her.

She had to admit, though, that she probably had it the easiest of the group. She had observed Blue Gentleman fighting a number of the fire constructs, trying to keep them from hurting anyone and burning down the festival booths. He had less success with the air and electricity elementals, as they seemed more impervious to his telekinetic abilities, but he still managed to keep a number of people safe, including Lancet. He had saved her on more than one occasion.

Brightside had not seen Haunt do much fighting, but what she had seen showed that he did have enough training in martial arts (the type of which she could not recognize). He had also spent quite of bit of time helping other heroes that had been injured. She had seen him touch Lancet's injured arm once, and it seemed to help her be able to use the arm without it hurting. Did he have some kind of healing ability?

And then there was Lancet herself. Brightside had been impressed by her skill with her lance. She of course knew of heroes that used gadgets and weapons rather than superpowers, but she had never personally seen one in action before. While Felicity's powers came naturally (as long as she spent enough time out in the daylight at least), Lancet's skill came from dedication, practice and training. It was something else entirely. The same could have been said for Lancet's brother, who Felicity had seen for a short moment before he had been shot by that spaceship…

Oh dear lord, the spaceship. What the hell had that thing been? It had come out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly. Felicity had read about The Reach spaceships before in history class, but nothing could have prepared her for that. It had attacked everyone…including Lancet's brother.

Felicity watched as Lancet sat down in one of the plush chairs in the center of the room. She still looked a little dazed from what happened. She couldn't imagine what the young Scottish girl was going through right now.

Blue Gentleman took a seat across from the red-head. He looked to be deep in thought himself. Thank goodness for him and his telepathy. If he had not contacted her with that mind-link thing Brightside was sure she and Lancet would still be trapped underground, and if her powers had run out before someone else had found them…again, she didn't want to think about it.

"Are you all right?" Blue Gentleman finally asked Lancet. The girl in question just looked at him, not answering. The Asian boy broke the gaze. "I'm sorry about your brother."

Lancet just shook her head.

"But, hey, you know, we're in the Hall of Justice!" he declared. "One of the old headquarters of the Justice League! That's cool, right?"

"…Fletcher wanted to join the Justice League," Lancet mumbled. "That's why we were here. It…seems wrong to be in here before he was."

Blue Gentleman's face immediately fell. "I just really put my foot in my mouth, huh?"

"Maybe a little," Lancet said. She then gave him a small, sad smile. "But I know you're just trying to cheer me up. Thanks."

Haunt in the meantime was the only one who didn't sit down. Instead, he began to pace, shuffling slightly as he did so. Brightside recalled the conversation between him and Red Robin that she and Lancet had overheard before (oh, how long ago that seemed). They had been talking about the attack and missing heroes. Even now, Felicity could tell that Haunt was muttering something.

"Getting me nowhere…" she could just make out him saying. "…still with The Collector…find Malcolm…taking Red Robin so long?"

"What do you know about the attack?" Brightside suddenly asked him. Haunt stopped pacing and stared at her. "We overheard you earlier."

"That's right, you were talking to Red Robin about it," Lancet corroborated. She forced herself to her feet again and took up her spear. Pointing the steel tip towards Haunt, she advanced on him. He backed up as she approached him. "You knew about the attack before it happened. How and why? Why didn't you come earlier and warn the League? Did you know about the ship and that cannon? Are you in league with them? Was this part of your plan?"

"Hold on, Lancet," Jun stood from his seat and pulled Olivia back. "If Red Robin trusted him then we should too. I don't think he's a spy or in league with the enemy, whoever it is."

"…Maybe not, but he does know a lot more than we do right now," Olivia deduced, not taking her eyes off Kieran. "I thought I just lost my brother, but before you said something before about him not being dead. What did you mean? What do you know? I think we deserve to know."

Haunt glanced at each of the three standing before him. He let out a loud sigh.

"Yeah, you're right. I've had to keep this a secret for weeks, so I'd gotten used to it," he explained. "But can we wait until Red Robin gets here? I'd prefer to only have to tell it once."

"My timing is perfect then," the voice of Red Robin announced as he entered the library. He pushed a button near the side of the door, which caused the dome-like window above to cloud over, giving the group some privacy. "All right, you four. Time for explanations. Haunt, why don't you begin?"

Haunt averted his gaze for a moment and gave yet another sigh.

"Where to start?" he wondered aloud. He raised his eyes to face the others. "My father was Ghostwise. I inherited my powers from him, and he was the one who trained me—"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Jun interrupted. "Ghostwise? _The_ Ghostwise? The Cloaked Phantom? The White Spectre? The Criminal Horror?"

"Dad always hated that last one," Kieran mused. "Made it sound like _he_ was the villain. You knew him?"

"I knew _of_ him, but I'd never actually met him," Blue Gentleman clarified. "I hear about him all the time on the news. He's one of the top crime fighters in San Francisco."

"He fought with the Justice League on many occasions," Red Robin added. "Although he never accepted our invitation to officially join. He was a good man and a great hero."

"Yeah," Haunt continued. "He was, and I don't mean to say that just because he was my dad."

"I'm noticing a lot of past tense use here," Felicity noted.

"My dad and I were attacked a few weeks ago," Kieran described, his voice dropping a little. "Back home in San Francisco. We were training when The Collector attacked us. We managed to drive him off, but it turned out to just be a distraction. Some of The Collector's men attacked our home, and my little brother, Fade, was kidnapped."

"Who is this Collector guy?" Lancet asked. "You've thrown his name around a lot, but I've never heard of him."

Haunt's face visibly darkened.

"He's an old enemy of my father's. The Collector is a sick, demented man who kidnaps children," he explained. "He has this idea that young children, especially super powered ones, are not treated well and need protecting. So he captures them and keeps them in his floating fortress."

"Floating fortress?" Brightside repeated. "Really?"

"So he tries to raise them and teach them how to use their powers?" Jun asked. "Not that it's a good excuse to go around kidnapping kids…"

"Not even close," Red Robin disrupted. "Raising super powered children and teaching them to use their powers is one thing. Keeping them in a fortress as prisoners and turning them against the rest of humanity is something else entirely."

"The children he kidnaps aren't even human to him," Haunt explicated. "The Collector treats them like his trophies to be displayed and to entertain him. He trains them in their powers by having them torture the other kids he keeps. He puts them through sleep deprivation, solitary confinement, sensory deprivation and pharmacological torture."

_Pharmacological torture?_ Jun wondered.

_He uses different drugs to make the children hallucinate or feel certain emotions,_ Zarcen clarified for him. _It's a form of mental torture._

"The Collector makes the children believe they can't live without him," Kieran continued. "He increases their dependence on him, which lets him mold them into his own personal warriors."

"And your brother—Fade?—was his most recent kidnapping," Felicity stated, not as a question.

"That's not the only thing," Haunt resumed. "When he kidnapped Fade, he left a note ordering us to show up near Sacramento if we ever wanted to see Fade again."

"Let me guess," Brightside added again. "It was a trap?"

"We knew it was, but we had handled The Collector before so we thought nothing of it," Haunt replied. "Dad and I figured we'd fight The Collector and save Fade, and everything would be fine. You know, same old thing."

_With the way this young man is speaking,_ Zarcen commented in Jun's head. _It must have gone very badly._

"We didn't know that The Collector had partnered up with someone else," said Kieran. "Someone with the power to create and control elemental monsters."

"Like the ones that attacked us today?" Lancet inquired.

"Exactly like the ones that attacked us today," Haunt responded. "Dad and I fought as well as we could, but we couldn't handle both The Collector and his lackeys _and_ the elementals. I managed to escape, but my dad…was killed in the battle."

Red Robin narrowed his eyes and averted his gaze, and the three younger heroes just looked at him for a moment, unsure of how to react. What did you say to someone who just admitted that his father had been killed in action? Eventually Brightside walked over to him. However, when she tried to put her hand on his shoulder, he shrugged her off.

"I overheard The Collector talk with his partner over a communicator," he continued. He had to get through this explanation before anything else happened. He wasn't sure he could if something distracted him. "They talked about The Collector taking younger heroes and the partner taking the older heroes. The partner was mad that The Collector had killed my father instead of capturing him, but The Collector made excuses and the partner let it go as a loss. I don't know what the partner wants with older heroes, but if he goes so far as to kill the ones he can't capture it must be serious."

"What does this have to do with today?" Lancet questioned.

"They talked about planning the attack on the festival," Kieran answered. "So I knew it was going to happen. I made my way here over the past two weeks, but obviously…"

"Not in time before the battle today," Red Robin voiced, speaking for the first time in a number of minutes. He walked over to Haunt, and this time the boy let someone put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. You did the best you could, and we're going to rescue the League and the other heroes. It's what we do."

"That brings me back to what I said before," Lancet interjected. "You said that my brother isn't dead. Now you say we're going to rescue everyone. But I saw that cannon thing blast my brother and the other heroes. How are they still alive?"

"The cannon uses Zeta Beam technology," Haunt enlightened her. Red Robin looked at him. "I got a Psychic Impression on one of the elementals earlier. It showed a scene of The Collector talking with the guy I think has the power to create the elements."

"What did he look like?" the eldest hero asked. Haunt gave a description of the men he saw in the vision earlier, while the others all wondered what a Psychic Impression was. Red Robin continued. "That corroborates with what Batman and I found earlier. There are traces of Zeta Beam radiation all over the place where the ship had been. The cannon doesn't kill. Rather, it teleports whoever it hits to a specified location."

"…So my brother _is_ alive!" Lancet declared. At Red Robin's nod, the red-head sat down again. She took a few breaths to calm herself, and then spoke again. "You said you are going to rescue the heroes?"

"That's the general plan, yes," Red Robin confirmed.

"Let me help," she demanded. "If my brother is one of those heroes and you're going to save them, then I'm definitely in."

"I'm in too," Blue Gentleman asserted. Zarcen was mentally smiling, proud of what Jun was going to say next. "Who knows what this person is going to do with our heroes, and who they're going to hurt next? I can't stand by and do nothing."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Red Robin said. "I've been looking for new recruits for our covert team for a while."

"Covert team?" Brightside wondered.

"Yes, the Justice League has kept a group for smaller, more covert missions for decades now," he explained. "I would like you four to at least consider it. I will explain more later. For now, it's getting late, you four are injured and I'm sure could do with some rest."

"I thought you were going to ask us about today?" Brightside inquired.

"I am," Red Robin replied. He walked over to the Zeta-Tube at the other end of the library. He stood in front of the tubes as it called out his designation number. The tubes opened and spun noisily. "I'd prefer to do that in a safer environment though. Follow me to the Sanctuary."

* * *

_The Sanctuary, Bl__ü__dhaven_

_July 19, 18:34 EDT_

Brightside exited the Zeta Tubes, shivering a bit at the sensation. She had never used that mode of travel before, and although it was awesome it was also a bit frightening. She didn't even hear the computer voice announcing the arrival of the others as she left the tubes. Glancing around, she realized that this must be the "Sanctuary" that Red Robin had mentioned.

The Sanctuary was apparently a hide-out for Team members when the Watchtower was not accessible. It had started as an old warehouse during the War with The Reach, but had been expanded over the twenty years following into a proper base of operations. It had a small section on top that was disguised as an old warehouse, but most of the base was located underwater. There was a hanger bay for any ships to transport people to and from the Sanctuary, a fully stocked kitchen, a small library, a living room for recreational purposes, a room complete with a holographic computer for detailing information about mission, a training room fitted with various targets, weights, bikes, treadmills and other things to practice with, a medical bay with the most up-to-date equipment and supplies, and multiple bedrooms for Team members to live in. Those last rooms had recently been vacated and cleaned by the previous Team, who Red Robin now claimed were moving on to other things.

It was honestly a little nerve-wracking for Felicity to be underwater. How was she going to get the necessary sunlight for her powers if she was stuck under here the entire time?

_Wait, why am I suddenly thinking about that?_ She pondered. _I'm not actually considering joining this Team thing, am I?_

"Please, make yourselves at home," Red Robin offered as he lead the group from the Zeta Tubes next to the mission room and into the living room at the opposite end of a hallway. He raised a hand up to his ear. "Red Robin to Superboy, are you at the Sanctuary? Okay. Yeah, I have a few guests I'd like you to meet. Meet us in the lounge, and bring a medic kit."

"Superboy? The same Superboy I've heard about?" Blue Gentleman said. He glanced around the hallway, which was actually made of bullet-proof glass and allowed the group to see out of the Sanctuary into the ocean below. "This…is so cool!"

"Have you been here before, Haunt?" Brightside asked.

"No, this is my first time," the white-haired young man replied. He was doing his best to keep weight off his left leg. "Why?"

"Just thought that you and Red Robin seem to know each other," the blonde replied. "And I thought maybe he had brought you here before."

"I know Red Robin from a previous mission I had with my father," Haunt informed her. "But this is my first time here."

The group arrived at the lounge. Inside were three plush couches and a couple of chairs, with a long coffee table in the center. One wall was taken up largely by a television screen, while the right wall had multiple shelves that held movies, DVDs, video games, and other assorted entertainment options, including a couple of books. The left wall was entirely made up of more glass, and it was nice to see the fish out in the open water. Felicity was sure she even saw a shark swim by. She found it a little odd. From what she knew of Blüdhaven, it was not really a place she would expect to be conducive to ocean life.

Jun was the first to take Red Robin up on the offer to make himself comfortable and sat himself on one of the couches. The others followed suit, plopping themselves onto the seats. Haunt seemed to fall a little harder than the others, and he gasped. Jun looked over at him for a moment.

"Are you all right?" he inquired.

_Jun, he's been limping since the attack at the festival,_ Zarcen notified him. _Did you not notice?_

"I'm fine," Haunt snipped.

"That's a lie. You've been limping since the festival," Jun proclaimed, taking the hint from Zarcen. "Are you hurt?"

"That's what I called for the medic kit for," Red Robin said, taking a seat himself.

As if on cue, a large young man who looked to still be in his mid-teenage years entered the room. He wore his standard black shirt, blue cargo jeans and fingerless black gloves. His short, cropped hair was the deepest black possible, and he had startling blue eyes like sapphires. He carried a large medic kit in one hand, and on his chest was a giant red "S" in a shield, the symbol of Superman.

_Superboy,_ Jun thought, almost in awe.

_Of course,_ Zarcen echoed, in nearly the same tone.

Superboy stopped in the doorway and took in the sight of all four new faces. He studied each one intently before turning his gaze to Red Robin.

"New recruits, Red?" he asked.

"Maybe," Red Robin replied. "Everyone, this is Superboy."

"You can call me Conner, at least when we aren't on a mission," Superboy said. "You asked for a first aid kit?"

"Haunt, over there, is injured," the black-haired man informed him. "Haunt, your leg?"

Kieran picked up the hem of the left pant leg, lifting it to reveal his injury. There were a few old lacerations on his leg, which had begun to heal over. The wounds must have been at least two weeks old. They were not very deep but a few had re-opened, most likely due to the battle earlier that day. They weren't bleeding profusely, but there were still plenty of droplets of blood running down his leg. The edges of some of the lacerations were blunted and curled over.

Red Robin immediately perked up. "That looks infected, Haunt. I didn't know it was that bad."

"It isn't," Kieran protested.

He grabbed the kit from Conner and took out some antiseptic gauze and bandage dressings. He started wiping his wounds a little roughly, perhaps as a result of some sort of frustration with himself. Haunt gave a low hiss as he rubbed the injured tissue too hard.

"You're not doing it right," Felicity insisted from her seat next to him. She grabbed the supplies from his hands and kneeled down to get better access to his injury. The blonde had a more gentle hand when it came to taking care of the older boy's wound. She wiped away the blood, cleaned the lacerations, and began to bandage them up.

"Well, while Brightside takes care of that," Red Robin resolved. "All of you, tell me what you saw today."


	6. Call to Adventure

A/N: Not a lot to say about this chapter. Just people getting to know one another and recuperating a bit. Next chapter though – first official mission!

* * *

_The Sanctuary, Bl__ü__dhaven_

_July 19, 19:54 EDT_

Red Robin sat with his hands clasped near his chin with his elbows on his knees, contemplating what the four teenagers sitting before him had told him over the past ninety (or so) minutes. He had been listening to learn what kind of enemies they may be dealing with, and if by any chance one of them saw the man who was controlling the "golems," as Haunt had labeled them, what he may have looked like. Any small detail would help in identifying this perpetrator.

In addition, he was listening intently to their descriptions of how the four of them had worked together. From what they said, they had helped and saved each other multiple times during the battle with the elementals. When one person stopped speaking, another would immediately take over to continue the story, so the report flowed nicely and make perfect sense. It seemed like they already had a team dynamic working, even if they had not known it at the time. This of course was good news if Tim managed to convince them all to stay on as part of the Team.

There was still much to be done though, and the youngsters looked tired enough. He had gotten all he could out of them for the night.

"I'm going to report to Batman. All of you should eat something and then get some rest," he proclaimed as he stood. After receiving four tired nods, he turned to Conner. "Can you get them something?"

"There's not a whole lot in the kitchen right now," Superboy replied. "Are you guys okay if I just order a pizza?"

"No mushrooms, please," Felicity, who had moved on to tending to Olivia's shoulder burn once she was done with Kieran's leg, requested.

"I think we can work with that," Conner stated. "Anyone else?"

There were no other requests so the two older heroes left the room, Red Robin to head for the Watchtower and Superboy to order the food. Felicity finished up working on Olivia's shoulder and gave it a gentle rub.

"How's that?" she asked.

"Great. Thanks, Bright," the lancer girl answered. She moved her right shoulder tenderly to see how much she could use it. "It actually hasn't bothered me since the battle, ever since Haunt did something to it."

"Pain Transfer," Kieran said bluntly. "I can remove the pain a person feels. It doesn't heal anything, but you don't notice it anymore. I can also transfer my pain to someone else. I have to be in contact with the person though."

Brightside looked at him. "So…while I was bandaging your leg, you could have transferred your pain to me and make me feel it in my leg instead?"

"Could have, but would not and did not."

"It could be a problem if you've got a broken bone or something," Brightside rationalized. "I mean, what would stop you from hurting it worse if you walk on a broken leg but can't feel it?"

"Yeah, point, and I try not to use it that way," Haunt replied. "But I figured this time a burn would be okay, and we needed as many people to fight as we could get."

"I appreciate it, Haunt," said Lancet.

"Kieran," he offered. "As long as we're here, and if we are going to be a team, we might as well know each other's names. Mine's Kieran."

"I'm Olivia," Lancet introduced.

It took a moment for Brightside to answer. "Felicity."

"I'm Jun," Blue Gentleman answered, facing the wall.

"…What are you looking at?" Olivia questioned. She noticed that he was looking a little pale. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," he replied. "Is Kieran's leg covered yet?"

"Yeah, it has been for about fifteen minutes now," Olivia told him. It was at that point that his behavior made sense. "Ah, can't handle a little squish, huh?

"A little what?" Kieran asked.

"He can't handle the sight of blood," Olivia clarified.

"Not one bit," the Asian boy groaned. "Ugh, just the thought of it makes me feel light-headed."

"Don't worry, Jun, it's gone now."

"Thanks," Jun voiced. "I don't suppose you can transfer nausea too?"

Kieran chuckled. "Pain or exhaustion, sure. Nausea? Not so much."

"How long do you think Superboy will be with the pizza?" Felicity wondered. "I don't know about you guys, but I haven't eaten since breakfast. I'd love nothing more than to chow down and then go to bed."

"I second that," Kieran agreed.

"What time is it?" Olivia queried. She glanced at the nearby clock. "Past eight. I'm still on Scotland time. It's after one over there."

"How in the world are you still awake?" Felicity pondered.

Lancet's response was cut off by Conner returning to the lounge with two large pizza boxes, and the group dove in. Kieran and Felicity both took two pieces. Olivia just sat back and launched one up into the air using the end of her spear, catching it deftly in her hand. As she was taking a bite, she saw a napkin float in front of her vision. She glimpsed over at Jun, who was smiling at her while another piece of pizza floating above his mouth. The Scottish girl grinned; the silly boy was using his telekinesis to hold his food. Did he always do that?

* * *

_The Sanctuary, Bl__ü__dhaven_

_July 20, 08:36 EDT_

It was a shockingly pleasant morning, as far as Blüdhaven was concerned. It was almost as if the criminal element of the city had decided to take at least the morning off. It was peaceful and quiet and restful.

Or rather, it was peace, quiet and restful until a huge cluster of bangs and clangs emanated from the Sanctuary kitchen. Kieran immediately sprang up from his bed at the sound, adrenaline rushing through his body as he ran from the room he had slept in the previous night, down the hall and to where he thought he could recall the kitchen was located. He ignored the pain in his injured leg as he did so. At some point during his run, Felicity had joined him and the two entered the kitchen together.

"What about eggs?" they could hear Olivia asking. "Sunny-side up, over-easy or scrambled?"

"Scrambled. That'd go well with the pancakes," the voice of Jun agreed. "That way the yolk doesn't run with the syrup too much."

"Yeah, you're right," Olivia stated in agreement. "Oh, I know! Omelets!"

"Omelets?"

"Yes, omelets! We could add onions, peppers, tomatoes—"

"Tomatoes?" Jun echoed, making a gagging sound.

"Okay fine, no tomatoes," said Lancet. She spotted the two more drowsy teens in the doorway. "Hey you two! You hungry? We're making breakfast!"

"Can you believe that they eat cold smoked fish for breakfast over in Europe?" Jun asked. "Olivia was telling me about it. Who has cold fish for breakfast?"

"Nothing weird about kippers in the morning," the red-head protested. "And you guys eat cereal all the time. Kind of bland if you ask me."

"We also have breakfast for dinner sometimes," Jun stated. "You ought to try it while you're here."

"How is that some sort of novel American experience?" Olivia wondered. She turned back to the other two teens. "What was taking you guys so long anyway? I've already found the training room and did my morning stretches. You lazy bums!"

"Oh god, you two are morning people, aren't you?" Kieran moaned, in a tone that one would use to say 'You roast puppies and kittens alive for breakfast, don't you?' "Can you keep it down a little? I just spent the last two weeks horseback riding across country, and I need more than seven hours of sleep to recover."

"Horseback riding?" Felicity repeated.

"Didn't I mention that yesterday?" the white-haired boy said. "Yeah, I rode horses cross-country to get to the festival, almost non-stop. Not that it did much good…"

"Why didn't you take a bus, or a train, or a plane?"

"No cash flow," Kieran answered. "The Collector destroyed my house and everything inside, including anything that would get me money from my dad's bank accounts."

"So…does that mean you didn't have money for food either?" the blonde asked.

"Let's not get into that right now, okay?" Kieran requested. Felicity respected his wishes and let it drop.

"Morning, everyone. Oh, breakfast. Sweet," Conner proclaimed, entering the kitchen himself. The half-Kryptonian took a plate and filled it with the eggs and pancakes. He hummed in appreciation. "Who made this?"

"Olivia and I did," Jun told him.

"You two are officially assigned chefs from now on," he joked, taking another bite of pancakes. "I was wondering what all the noise was."

"Yeah, noise," Kieran muttered. "I'm heading back to bed now."

"Before you leave, I have a few things to go over," Conner stopped him. Kieran turned around again and leaned against the doorframe. "First, I'd like you to all call your families or guardians and let them know you're okay. I'm sure you all came up with an excuse for the festival, but you should check in with them anyway. There's a phone in the lounge if you need to use it, and yes, it will connect long-distance."

He said this last statement with a glance at Lancet, who just smiled in appreciation.

"Second, Red Robin has told me that we would like you to stay at the Sanctuary for the next few days at least," he continued. "Which is another good reason to call your folks. We don't know who was behind the attack on the festival, but he may still be looking for witnesses and it would be best if we could keep an eye on you four for a while. Would that be okay?"

There was a general consensus of agreement among the teens.

"Third and last, where were you all staying for the festival?" he inquired. "I know you all didn't have access to the Zeta Tubes, so if you have traveled from far away you probably have a place you crashed night before last. If you can all give me the addresses and any keys to get in, I can make a trip to grab your things."

Kieran was silent as the other three gave Superboy their hotel addresses and keys. The half-Kryptonian announced that he would be back later with their belongings and some more food, as they seemed to have used up the last of it for breakfast. Jun and Olivia returned to their cooking while Felicity sat at the dining room table. Kieran gave a deep sigh.

"_Now_ I'm going back to bed," he declared, heading back down the hallway. The other three watched in concern.

"Is he going to be okay?" Jun wondered.

_He has a lot on his mind right now,_ Zarcen thought-spoke. _I can tell._

_Were you reading his mind?_ Jun hissed in his head. He _hated_ reading others' minds without permission, and was shocked that Zarcen would do such a thing.

_Please, Jun, you know me better than that,_ Zarcen comforted him. Jun gave a small guffaw. Of course he knew that. _I don't need to read his mind. You can just tell by watching him. Olivia is the same, although she tries to act like she's all right._

Jun glanced over at Lancet, who had started to scramble some eggs. She was treating them rather roughly though, and was scratching the spatula against the pan harder than probably was necessary. It also looked like she was trying to keep her face from showing any worry or rage that Jun was now sure she was feeling.

"Uh, Lancet? Olivia?" Jun asked. The girl slightly turned her head in his direction to indicate she was listening. "You okay?"

"Don't worry about me, Jun," she replied.

_That doesn't really answer my question,_ Jun thought before speaking aloud. "You're kind of killing the eggs."

"They're already dead."

"Is it about your brother?"

"Really, Jun, don't worry," Olivia repeated, a little more firmly. She slammed the spatula again.

_Um, better leave her alone for now,_ the Asian boy reasoned. This was drastically different from how she was acting when he woke up and found her in the kitchen that morning.

Jun brought a few plates and utensils from the kitchen to the adjoining dining room and began setting the table. Felicity stood from her seat to assist him. She gave the other hero an encouraging smile.

"Don't mind her, Jun," Brightside consoled. "She's just frustrated."

"It _is_ about her brother, right?" he questioned.

"She's _really_ worried about him," she confirmed. "We were talking about it a little last night before we went to bed."

"You two stayed up even _later_?" Jun said with surprise. "_And_ she got up before I did for some early training?"

_The girl has worse sleep patterns than you do,_ Zarcen reprimanded.

"I think she's still feeling jetlagged," Felicity explained, giving him a small smile. "Olivia needed to get some things off her chest. It's a girl thing. We chat."

"She told you about her brother?"

"That's right. If what Red Robin said is true, that cannon didn't kill him…"

"But he's probably being kept by the enemy somewhere," Jun concluded. "And we have no idea where or if he's okay otherwise."

"Exactly," Felicity said. "So don't take what she says right now too personally."

_Kieran is likely thinking along the same lines about his younger brother,_ Zarcen added.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Jun responded out loud.

"Huh?" said Felicity.

"Huh? Sorry, just thinking out loud," he amended. He'd have to be careful about keeping his communication with Zarcen in his mind. "Kieran's probably thinking the same thing about his brother."

"Oh yeah, Malcolm," she sighed, recalling the name. "Two people going crazy over family members. Lucky us."

* * *

After finishing breakfast, the first thing Felicity did was call Emma to explain what had occurred, and the response she got what exactly what she expected.

"Lissy, you're going to be on a team!" her best friend declared. "Just like the Titans! Or a mini-Justice League! This is awesome!"

"Em, I haven't joined any team yet," Felicity admitted, partly breaking the other girl's statements. "And I don't know if I am."

"You're not?" Emma wondered. "But I thought part of the reason you went to that festival thing in the first place was to see if you want to be a hero?"

"See if I want to be a hero, sure," Felicity argued. "Not join a covert team under one of the Leaguers. The hero thing is enough on my plate, nevermind being on a team. That's way over my head."

"Come on, Felicity, why not?" Emma insisted. "You said yourself that Red Robin was interested in having you on this team."

"Probably because most of the others at the festival were kidnapped or ran away," the blonde debated. "I was one of the few that stuck around. He may just need someone to fill in a spot."

"Okay, first, Red Robin was trained by Batman, who would _never_ just put someone on the front lines for the sake of having someone there," Emma reasoned. "Second, doesn't the fact that you stayed to fight say something about you? You were willing to fight and defend others while they ran away in terror."

"Yeah, but…"

"Lissy, you have more strength than you know," the girl on the other end of the line stated. "I'm your best friend. Wouldn't I know better than anyone?"

"Normally, I thought parents went under that category," Felicity said, trying to change the subject. "Speaking of which, I need a favor."

"What's up?"

"I'm probably going to be here for a few days until Red Robin decides what we're going to do," she explained. "I need an alibi for Dad and Samantha."

"Say no more," Emma immediately said. "Mom, Dad and I were talking about taking a trip somewhere anyway. We can say you decided to come with us. Hope you like the Bahamas!"

"If I won't be there, why does it matter that I'd like it?" Felicity joked.

"Because you'll have to pretend you begged us to let you go when I tell your dad, silly!"

"Samantha will be pissed."

"Since when has _that_ stopped you from doing something?"

"Point," Felicity laughed. "Thanks, Em. You always make me feel better."

"No problem, Lissy," Emma replied. "I'll make the arrangements, so don't worry."

"What would I do without you?" she asked.

"Just do me a favor in return? Really consider joining this team?" Emma requested. "I mean, _really_ consider it? It could be the chance of a lifetime."

"…All right," Felicity answered.

"Okay, looks like I have a cruise to plan," Emma proclaimed. "I got to go. Call me, okay?"

"You'll be the first to know anything important," the dreadlocked girl confirmed.

The two girls said their goodbyes and hung up. Felicity stared at her phone for a while in thought. Sometimes she believed that it would have been better if Emma had been the one born with powers rather than her. She was far more interested in heroics than Felicity was. Felicity was not completely against the hero idea and she knew she had the abilities for it, but what good would she be at it? What reason did she have to even try?

There was a knock on her bedroom (when did it become "her bedroom"?) door, and she got up from her seat on the bed to answer it. Red Robin was waiting for her on the other side.

"Felicity," he said. "I was hoping I could speak with you. Walk with me?"

_Ah damn,_ she immediately thought. _This is it. I'm getting kicked out. I haven't even done anything yet!_

The young woman nodded and followed the older hero, closing the door behind her. He walked slowly down the hallway, as if he was trying to prolong their walk as much as possible.

"Um, did you talk to Batman?" she inquired, trying to avoid whatever he needed to speak with her about.

"Yes, I informed him about what happened at the festival and about you four," Red Robin described. "He is looking into some leads about who was responsible, but I wanted to check in with you and the others before joining him. How are you doing today?"

"…I feel a lot better," Felicity replied. "Good night's sleep and all that. I wasn't hurt too bad anyway."

"Have you given any more thought about joining the Team?" he asked.

"Well…a little," she admitted. "I'm just…not sure I'd be up for it."

"What makes you say that?"

"I guess, I just don't really know what it means to be a hero," she explained. "I know what it is you guys do, but I don't know if I really have the same drive."

Red Robin gave a quiet hum. "Answer a question for me?"

_Another question? Wonderful,_ Felicity thought. "Yes?"

"Back at the festival, when I asked you which hand has the power to change the world," he summarized, reflecting back on her interview. "You answered my right hand. Any particular reason why?"

"…I guessed that since most people are right-handed, that would be the one."

"But you hesitated before you chose. Why is that?"

"I…It's a stupid reason."

"Tell me."

"I was…for a while I was thinking, the answer was my own hand."

Red Robin smiled. "See, that _was_ the answer."

"What?"

"We are responsible for ourselves. Yes, we can try and convince others to do certain things or act a certain way, but in the end we are only responsible for our own actions and choices," he explained. "You cannot rely on me to change the world for the better. You cannot control my hands, only your own. Only what _you_ do will determine what the future holds for you. I was testing you to see what your perspective about the subject was."

"In a pretty roundabout way," Felicity decided.

"But you answered my hand instead of your own," Red Robin continued. "That tells me something else."

"What's that?"

"You completely lack confidence in yourself."

To that, Felicity had no answer. It was a little too similar to what Emma told her on a fairly regular basis. Instead, she just stopped walking when the other hero did, and looked at him. He continued speaking.

"It's true that heroics are not for everyone," Red Robin said. "And maybe it's not the path you want to take. I'm not trying to convince you either way, but I think you would be a great asset to the Team if you decided to join."

"But you can't stop me if I say no, right?" Felicity concluded. "Because you can't control my hands either."

"Exactly," he affirmed. "Think about it a little while longer. I'm going to the Watchtower and will be back tonight."

He began to walk away when Felicity called him back. He turned his head to look at her again, but still faced his body away.

"About what you said, about being responsible for our own actions?" she asked, and he nodded. "What about mind control?"

Red Robin paused for a minute before chuckling. "That…goes down an entirely different conversation route. We better leave it for another time."

Felicity wondered what he found amusing about her question as she watched him walk away.

* * *

It was close to lunchtime when Jun left the training room, having just spent two hours practicing with his yantok sticks and telekinesis. It was actually very nice to have such a room. Jun always had to resort to his school gym (which of course made it difficult to train properly because of the other students there) or any place where he could practice without any prying eyes. Here he didn't have to worry about staying hidden at all.

He had not seen the others the entire time, which partly made him wonder where everyone was. Why didn't they spend some time training as well? Surely they would need to practice to stay in shape as well?

_Well, with the exception of Lancet,_ he thought. _She said she did her routine this morning. Good for her._

_I suspect that Kieran was more concerned about sleeping,_Zarcen reasoned. _And Felicity is likely not used to having such a routine. She seems to be the least experienced of the four of you._

_I think you're right,_ Jun agreed.

_Maybe you can try and introduce her to your routine?_ Zarcen suggested. _It wouldn't hurt to have someone to practice with. Perhaps you can get all three of them to join you next time._

_Yeah, that's not a bad idea,_ concurred Jun. He exited the training room and headed for the kitchen to get a snack.

Zarcen smiled. _That_ would get Jun to spend some time with his new teammates.

Jun entered the kitchen to see a young woman with curly red hair at the open refrigerator door. She wore a shoulderless, sky blue shirt with three-quarter sleeves and a knee-length navy blue skirt. On her feet were dark blue sandals, and around her neck was a light purple marble pendant necklace. The girl looked up at the sound of Jun's entrance and smiled, revealing that she also had a pair of thin, wire-framed glasses on her face. His eyes widened.

"Hey Jun," she said.

He immediately recognized her voice. "O-Olivia?"

"Yeah, it's me," she responded pleasantly. "I didn't think you'd recognize me."

"Y-You wear gl-glasses?" Jun stuttered, averting his gaze away from her.

_Oh boy, here it comes,_ Zarcen muttered in Jun's head.

"Superboy brought our luggage. I think you were in the training room when he came back," Olivia explained. "I changed clothes. I always wear glasses except when I'm in costume. I wear contacts then. Glasses get in the way of my domino mask and it's a problem if I lose them during a fight. Why?"

"Nothing! Nothing!" he replied abruptly. He was looking everywhere he could except at her. "It's-It's nothing."

_Jun, calm down,_ Zarcen reassured him. _It's okay. Slow breaths now._

_Oh bad, this is very bad,_ he thought.

Olivia closed the refrigerator door and looked at him. "Um, Jun? I want to apologize."

"Fo-For what?" he questioned, trying to contain his stuttering as much as possible.

"For this morning and last night," Olivia clarified. She looked down at her sandals as well and her glasses slid down her nose a little, Jun couldn't help but notice. "I've been a right jerk to you, especially when you're just trying to be nice to me, and I'm sorry."

"Well, um, right, yeah, don't worry about it," he managed to say, his speech speeding up a little. "No big deal, it's fine, you're worried about Fletcher after all, and I'm not—"

_Jun, you're rambling,_ Zarcen interrupted.

"Right, right," Jun repeated. "I'm, uh, I'll just be going, you know, right, um…"

With that coherent declaration, Jun spun around and rushed out of the kitchen, leaving Olivia with a very confused expression on her face. The young man headed down the hall to where he knew the lounge was. He needed to get away from the kitchen as quickly as he could.

_Why did she have to wear glasses?_ He groaned in his head.

_You never could resist a pretty girl with glasses, Jun,_ Zarcen asserted, with an almost audible smirk.

_Shut up, Zarcen,_ Jun replied, though there was no malice in the tone of his thought.

He arrived at the lounge, and could hear the sound of the television on. Someone must already be in there. This theory was confirmed when he entered and saw Kieran sitting on the couch. He was leaning forward with the remote control in his hand, and he was turning the volume up to listen to the reports. The white-haired boy looked up briefly as Jun entered.

"Hi Jun," he said quickly before returning his attention to the screen. "You're from Metropolis, right? Listen to this."

Turning his attention to the television, Jun watched the news report…and his eyes immediately widened in shock.

"Jaynie Walterson, age twenty-six, was found dead just outside Suicide Slums earlier this morning," the reporter stated. "Her body was found in the center of the street. She had been mutilated, sliced open and her internal organs spread around her in a circle. Her face had also been burned away. Investigators on the case were only able to identify her based on her fingerprints."

"What a nasty way to kill someone," Kieran proclaimed. Jun could only nod in agreement. "At least they have the decency to _not_ show the body."

"I couldn't agree more," Jun said.

"Back to the not handling blood thing?" Kieran asked honestly. There was no teasing in his tone.

"Yeah. Let's not get into that," he stated. _That method of killing..._

_It must be _him_, Jun!_ Zarcen declared.

_Yeah, no doubt about that,_ Jun concurred.

"Walterson was a known drug and gun smuggler for many criminals in Metropolis," the story went on. "There have even been reports of her activities spreading as far as Gotham City, although this has not yet been confirmed by police."

"A criminal killing a criminal," Kieran condensed. "Well, weirder things have happened."

"This has been the fourth murder in the past month with this MO, and all the victims have been known criminals, drug dealers or prostitutes," the reporter continued. "Although there were no witnesses for this murder, previous witnesses told investigators that the man responsible was seen wearing dark red armor and a blue visor, carrying a large scythe. This description, along with the MO and targeted victims, suggests the murders were committed by known murderer Blood Zero, who has been terrorizing Metropolis for many years now."

"Who still uses a scythe nowadays?" Kieran wondered.

"Olivia uses a spear," Jun argued. "Who still uses those?"

"You're right. Nevermind."

"Investigators ask that anyone who has any information about Blood Zero or any other similar murders to please report it to the nearest police station," the reporter ended.

"Hard to believe that someone like that actually exists," Felicity exclaimed, having entered the lounge at some point during the news report.

"Blood Zero is a horrible man who kills for the rush of it," Jun declared, his expression furious. "All in the name of making the world a better place. It makes me sick!"

"You know this guy?" Felicity asked.

"I live just outside of Metropolis," the Asian boy told her. "I've fought him on a few occasions. He keeps trying to convince me that he's doing the world a favor by killing criminals and so forth. No one betters the world by killing."

"Does that make him one of your rogues?" Kieran asked.

"I guess so, with the number of times I've faced him," Jun confirmed. "Although I haven't been able to beat him yet."

"You…have your own rogues?" Felicity probed. "At your age? Already?"

"Been gathering them since I got my powers actually," Jun admitted. "There was one other, but I beat him a while ago and haven't seen him in about a year. Not sure if he's still active or not."

Kieran looked to be deep in thought. He looked back at the television, which was now running a story about the Speaker's new hero school, but he paid no attention to that. A thought suddenly came to him.

"That man, Blood Zero?" he inquired. "He wears red armor and a blue visor? Does he have two blue orbs on the palms of his hands too?"

"The reporter didn't mention that," Jun recalled. "How did you know?"

"When I saw my Psychic Impression, the one I told Red Robin about?" Kieran explained. "The scene with The Collector and the guy who made the elementals? I remember seeing a man that fit that description there too."

"Blood Zero is working with The Collector?" Jun thought out loud. "Now that's weird. He's never worked with other criminals before."

"What does a Psychic Impression do anyway?" Felicity asked. "You mentioned it before, but how does it work?"

"When I have an item or am at a place that is tied with a specific event or person, I can psychically see a scene that's related to that item or place," Kieran explained. "For example, if I were to try to get a Psychic Impression on Olivia's spear, I would probably see a scene when she most recently practiced with it."

"So when you used it on one of the elementals," Felicity abridged, playing with her hands a little. "You saw a scene with their creator, The Collector and this Blood Zero guy?"

"That's right," he said with a nod. "But it has to be within the last day or two for me to see it, and I have to be in contact with the item or at the place where the event happened. I can't see any further than that."

"Why didn't you mention seeing him before?" Jun asked.

"Honestly…I forgot," Kieran replied sheepishly. "Sorry."

"We'll just tell Red Robin the next time we see him," Felicity resolved.

"That kind of reminds me, actually," said Kieran. "You said you've been gathering rogues since you got your powers. I've been meaning to ask you two where your powers came from?"

"I'm not sure. I just started shooting beams of light one day when I was twelve," Felicity shared. She didn't want to remember the amount of damage she had done to the surrounding forest when she had unleashed her first Searing Ray. "I guess maybe I have a metagene, but I don't really know."

"How about you, Jun?" Kieran asked.

"Um, I don't really know if I want to say," he admitted. "I don't know if you'd believe me."

"Hey, I got my powers from my father, who got his because he botched up a séance and called upon some angry ghosts," Kieran told him, smiling. "Who am I to judge?"

Jun pondered the idea for a moment.

_Zarcen?_ He thought. _Is it all right with you if I tell them?_

There was a long moment of silence from the alien in his mind before he received a response. _You can tell them about me, Jun, if you wish._

"…I came across an alien that had crash-landed by the park near my neighborhood," Jun described. "When I found him he fused with me, granting me his powers like telekinesis and telepathy."

"And forming mind-links. It's cool," Kieran stated. He then furrowed his brow. "He fused with you? But you look like a normal human."

"I can change into a Seraphim form, which is what he looked like, but it's hard and I can't stay like that for long," he continued as he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's hard on both me and Zarcen, so we only do it in extreme circumstances."

"Wait, hard on you _and_ him?" Felicity echoed. "He's…still here?"

"Kind of," Jun clarified. "When we fused, his body became part of mine. I can still speak to him in my head…that makes me sound crazy, huh?"

"A little, but after some of the things I've seen and heard I'm willing to believe anything," Kieran comforted him, and Felicity nodded in accord. "Zarcen? Is that his name?"

"Actually, his name is Zarcendrium Liasmyx Lornerhinal," Jun said with a smile.

"Sheesh, try saying that five times fast," Felicity joked. "I'd stick with just Zarcen."

"Can he speak with us too?" Kieran wondered. "Telepathically, I mean."

There was another moment of quiet as Jun asked Zarcen what he thought.

"He can, but he'd rather not," Jun eventually told the other two. "Not right now at least."

"Hey, it's cool," Kieran said calmly. "No pressure, Zarcen."

_Please tell Kieran I say thank you,_ Zarcen requested, and Jun relayed the message.

"Jun?" Olivia said, having entered the room and the conversation. "Are you all right now?"

Jun looked up at Olivia…and immediately lowered his gaze, his breathing becoming a little more rapid.

"Yeah, do-don't worry," he managed to stutter out, looking everywhere but at her face again.

_Here we go again,_ Zarcen stated with exasperation, as if he had said that statement one too many times. _Glasses are going to be the curse of us, Jun._

"Did I do something wrong?" Olivia asked, genuinely concerned.

"Hey guy, look!" Jun proclaimed. His gaze had landed on the entertainment system located next to the large television on the adjacent wall. "They've got a Playstation 6 and a Nintendo Spiral! Anyone want to play?"

_Maybe he's angrier than I thought,_ thought Olivia. _I didn't mean to make him so mad._

"What games do they have?" Felicity inquired.

"You play video games?" Kieran asked her.

"A little," she answered. "I'm no expert or anything."

"How about you, Olivia?" the white-haired young man moved on to the lancer.

"Not much, but I'm willing to give it a try," said the Scottish girl, a little quietly.

"My brother and I play all the time," Kieran said, and instantly tried to squash the tightness he felt in his chest at the thought. "We compete constantly. Multiplayer's our thing."

"Same here," Jun exclaimed. "But I haven't had the chance to play anything on the PS6 yet."

"Let's try something the four of us can play together," Kieran suggested, sounding a little smug. "Maybe going against three opponents will actually make it worthwhile."

"Is that a challenge, ghost boy?" Jun teased back.

"You don't know what can of worms you just opened, Jun," Kieran joshed at him, smirking. "And no cheating and letting Zarcen help you!"

* * *

A few hours later found Kieran eating a snack in the kitchen. Having been distracted by their video game marathon, he had neglected to eat lunch. He made a small sandwich, making sure he didn't eat too much to spoil dinner. Kieran was happy to say that his leg didn't throb in pain nearly as much as it had a while ago. Resting and keeping off it certainly had helped.

Kieran chewed on the last of his meal as Jun walked in, his cell phone at his ear. Strange thing was the phone was floating all by itself; Jun had both of his hands in his pockets. Of course, he was using telekinesis to hold up his phone. Kieran shook his head. He should have realized that at once.

"I'm going to be at least a few more days, Grandfather. Things are really picking up here," he explained. Kieran smiled. He must be delivering the alibi to his guardian that Superboy had ordered them to do. He, of course, had no one to call, but Jun had a fond tone in his voice. He must get along very well with his grandfather. "Yeah, it's part of the school thing. Don't worry, I'm fine. …I'll keep you posted. …All right, talk to you later, Grandfather."

Jun hung up his cell phone and jumped a little when he saw Kieran leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Didn't mean to startle you," Kieran said.

"Just didn't expect you there."

"That was your grandpa?"

"Yeah, I was letting him know that I'm okay."

"Does he know about Zarcen and your powers?"

"No, I've kept it a secret from him," Jun told him. "I don't want him to worry, and I don't want to take the chance that he'll be put in danger because of me."

"Must be hard," Kieran concluded, having grown up with his entire family knowing about his identity. "Not being able to tell your family about all this."

"A little," Jun slightly concurred. Silently he hoped that Kieran wouldn't ask about his parents. Thankfully, the other boy didn't say a thing. "Where're Felicity and Olivia?"

"They headed for the training room a while ago," Kieran answered. "Olivia promised Felicity she'd spar with her. She's really interested in learning some martial arts."

"Olivia sure trains a lot," Jun mused. "She was doing it earlier today too."

"Well, the three of us sort of had our powers given to us, in a way," Kieran explained. "Olivia doesn't have that. She had to practice and train with her spear in order to become the hero she is today."

"A little like Batman and his group," Jun deduced. "Which makes me realize, if she loses her spear during a battle or runs out of those cartridges…"

"She could be in big trouble very quickly," Kieran finished. "We're just going to have to keep an eye on her."

"We keep eyes on each other," Jun corrected him. "So, you're going to be on the Team?"

"If The Collector's involved in this mess, I'm all for it," Kieran proclaimed. "I have to find Malcolm, and I'm not going to let him do what he did to my father to anyone else."

"I'm with you there," agreed Jun. "I can't just stand by when someone is hurting others like this. And if Blood Zero is involved somehow, that involves me too."

"How about Olivia and Felicity?" the white-haired one inquired. "Do you think they'll join?"

"Olivia definitely. She already said she wants to go after the people who kidnapped her brother," Jun recalled. "But Felicity? I'm not sure."

"I saw her during the battle at the festival," Kieran noted. "She's pretty good, if a little green."

A quiet buzz came over the loudspeaker, and the voice of Red Robin reverberated throughout the Sanctuary.

"Kieran, Felicity, Jun and Olivia," he called out, sounding a little tired. "Please report to the mission room ASAP."

"Already he's giving orders," Kieran joshed with a grin.

"How did he know our names?" Jun contemplated as the two left the kitchen and headed for the mission room.

"He's Red Robin," Kieran rationalized. "One of the detectives. They know everything."

"Scary," Jun voiced.

They arrived at the mission room a few moments later. Felicity and Olivia were already there, which was logical because the training room was much closer to the mission room than the kitchen was. Felicity still stood in hers a little ways off, drumming her fingers on her thigh. Kieran watched her for a moment. Was she bored, impatient or nervous? He couldn't tell.

Olivia on the other hand was standing next to Superboy and Red Robin, clearly set at attention and eager to see what Red Robin had to say. She had changed back into her costume for training (again, logical), and Jun was happy to see that she had her domino mask on again. She must be wearing her contacts.

_No glasses this time,_ Zarcen commented. _Better now, Jun?_

_Arg, can you stop?_ Jun begged. _I feel bad enough snubbing her like that as it is._

_You can make up for it right now,_ Zarcen suggested.

Jun raised his gaze to Olivia, who appeared to be avoiding his eyes herself. He walked up next to her, gave her a friendly nudge in the shoulder, and smiled when she looked up at him. She returned the smile very widely and held her spear straighter.

"I have some bad news that I want to share with all of you. The Watchtower has been compromised," Red Robin declared, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. He paused for a moment before speaking again. "A man fitting the description Kieran gave entered through the Zeta Tubes with a squad of elementals. He claims to go by the name Golem. Only seven members of the Justice League were there at the time, and we were taken by surprise and overwhelmed. We were forced out of the Watchtower through the Tubes, and they were closed off behind us. The Watchtower is no longer available on Zeta Tube frequencies."

"In other words," Superboy added. "We've been kicked out of the Watchtower."

"More or less," Red Robin admitted. "We are currently keeping all members separated and operating from different bases across the nation rather than meeting together in one place. We can't risk being attacked together again until we have more information about this Golem character and who he works for."

"Do we have anything on them at all?" Kieran asked, a little exasperated.

"As a matter of fact we do. That's why I called you three here," the cloaked hero informed them all. "There was an accident at the Empire State Building a while ago. We didn't think anything of it at the time, but more recent reports of someone showing up at the sight of the accident have made the incident seem a little more suspicious. Police reports claim that part of the building was burned down and a fight between some metahumans may have been the cause of it."

"How is that connected with the festival and the Watchtower attacks?" Olivia questioned.

"They may be related because witnesses that have come forward have mentioned figures that fit the description of Golem and his elementals," Red Robin answered. "At this time, we would like to investigate the incident and see if anything can be discovered about Golem and his group. That's where you come in, Haunt."

"I take it you want a Psychic Impression on the scene?" Kieran supposed. "How long ago was the attack?"

"July 6th."

"That's no good," Kieran said, shaking his head. "That was almost two weeks ago. It's too long for me to get a Psychic Impression about the accident."

"True, but as I said, there have been reports of someone going back and searching for something at the scene of the crime," Red Robin reasoned. "It could be Golem, one of his associates, or the other metahuman involved in the incident. You could still get an impression regarding those facts."

"So you want me to go to New York, up the Empire State Building, and see if I can get a Psychic Impression about anything at all?" Kieran summarized, knocking each fact off with a finger. "When would this happen?"

"Tomorrow. I still want you to rest up for a bit longer. This is not a time-sensitive mission."

"Tomorrow? In the middle of the day?"

"No. In fact, I would like this to be a covert operation," the older hero elucidated. "You would investigate under the cover of night, completely hidden from the public eye. I don't want you all to reveal your hero identities just yet. This could also give you a chance to see if you can intercept the person who keeps returning."

"'You all'?" Olivia repeated. "You want all of us…?"

"That brings up the next order of business," Red Robin moved on. He looked at each teen individually for a minute. "Would the four of you be willing to join the team I mentioned before? It would be mostly covert missions, supervised by me and Superboy. Consider it training for League membership later down the line."

"Well, I'm in," Kieran reminded. "I need help finding Malcolm and taking down The Collector."

"And you know I'm in," Olivia declared. "I have my own brother to find too."

"I won't just stand by idly either," Jun proclaimed firmly. "Not if there's something I can do to help."

"How about you, Felicity?" Kieran asked the blonde, still standing near the corner.

Felicity just glanced around, silent.

I know you've had your doubts, Brightside, but perhaps you can think of this mission as a test run, to see if this is something you want to do," Red Robin offered. "If you join, if just for a while, we can show you what it means to be a hero. Maybe even find that drive you're looking for."

The dreadlocked girl stepped forward, a grin breaking out across her face, and crossed her arms. Kieran watched her intently. Part of him somehow knew how she was going to answer.

Finally, for the first time since the meeting started, she spoke. "Let's do this."


	7. From the Shadows

A/N: No, my interest in this fic has not diminished! I just had a huge project to finish before I graduate from university (yes, I'm graduating in a few weeks. Woot!), so that's been taking up my time. I'll hopefully be better at posting new chapters from now on (though don't hold me to that too much, as unexpected stuff can happen).

I did want to ask, would readers prefer if I posted shorter chapters on shorter time frames or longer chapters that are further apart? I worry that shorter chapters would be more disjointed, but that would result in more chapters more frequently (probably). Or do readers have no preference either way?

So anyway, time for the new Team to investigate the damage in New York. I recall blowing up a lot of buildings in my other story, Eye of the Beholder, as well. Now I've (for all intents and purposes) blown up part of the Empire State Building. I sure like destroying buildings, don't I?

This chapter also introduces a few new characters, some of which will be in supporting but recurrent roles, plus official entrance of Golem. Golem belongs to Ottselette (who I probably should have credited before now…), Skyhawk belongs to HufflepuffFinder, Doctor Galaxy belongs to KingOfStories01, and Shade belongs to Queztionz.

* * *

_The Sanctuary, Bl__ü__dhaven_

_July 21, 13:24 EDT_

"On July sixth at sixteen hundred hour, the Empire State Building was attacked by an unknown metahuman. Witnesses claim they saw beings of fire being led by a young man with blond hair in blue armor. The top twenty stories were set on fire and collapsed. The fire was described as turning from normal flames to deep black and purple in color. Most of the people at the top of the building survived, although many suffered from severe burns. Witnesses also report another metahuman showing up to fight the man in armor, although descriptions between the witnesses do not corroborate. They range from a young man with dark hair and skin to a woman with reddish hair in a blue robe."

Red Robin looked around at the four teenagers who stood before him in the mission room, sporting their hero costumes and seemingly ready for action. Haunt was looking intently at his leader, trying to take in every detail that was being said. Blue Gentleman was next to him, fidgeting slightly. Brightside was standing a little further off from the group and, although still attentive, would frequently avert her gaze to the floor. Lancet stood with her spear at her side, listening intently but swaying on her feet, as if she couldn't wait to get started.

"Your mission is to investigate the scene of the attack and determine if you can identify anyone involved," Red Robin continued. "Get as much of a Psychic Impression as you can and report back to me. Remember that police report that someone has been returning to the scene and damaging it further, as if searching for something. If you encounter this person, you are to observe only. Do not engage this person at any time. This is to be a reconnaissance mission only. Any questions?"

"I have some," Brightside interjected. "Why are we going this early? Wouldn't it be better to sneak in at night? Or are we being allowed in by police?"

"I'm debriefing you now so you can prepare for the mission. First missions are always nerve-wracking, so I thought I'd give you time to get set," Red Robin explained. "There are also plenty of preparations to make, and that will take some time. You will be heading to the Empire State Building at night. The police are aware that you will be there, but they won't know when and who. They want answers as badly as we do."

"Are American police usually that cooperative?" Lancet asked.

"Not always," Jun answered. "But it's really nice when they are."

"Any more questions?" Red Robin inquired. The four teens were silent. "All right, let me introduce you to your support team."

"Support team?" Haunt echoed.

"Did you think that every team goes out on missions on their own?" the older hero joked. "Superboy will of course be your main contact. Unless he's out on a mission, he acts as ops manager from here. There are also two more, who have recently joined us. Follow me."

* * *

Olivia's eyes widened when she and the others entered the hanger bay, and she saw what Red Robin had told them was going to be their main form of transportation.

It was a medium-sized plane, deep gray in color and with large wings. The front had large, tinted windows, and smaller round windows ran down either side of the plane. There was a platform at the back of the plane that dropped down, creating a ramp that allowed entrance. Lancet was reminded of the transport military aircrafts she had seen on television. She didn't think she'd ever see one this up close.

"We're taking that?!" Lancet proclaimed.

"This is the _Goliath_," Red Robin introduced the plane. "It is a modified military plane, with added stealth mode, battle mode complete with ray cannons, and is both space and sea capable."

"Nice!" Brightside said, showing excitement for the first time that morning.

"Are we really going to need something like this for this mission?" Haunt questioned.

"Hopefully not," Red Robin added. "This plane was originally going to be used by my last team, but it was never finished before they decided to leave."

"'_It_' he keeps calling my plane," a young voice called out. "This plane is much more worthy of 'she' than she is of 'it'."

The voice belonged to a young woman who looked about Kieran's age. She carried a gold pilot's cap in one hand, allowing her straight, chestnut hair to be easily seen. Her hair was kept in a straight ponytail that extended just past her shoulders, with dark green eyes which had a tenacious look to them. She was shorter than Kieran but taller than Jun, and had a slender, muscular build covered by a navy blue military blazer. The blazer had multiple old, worn military badges that could not have possibly belonged to her based on her age. Her bottom half had a tight, black skirt that ended at her mid thighs, over a pair of black leggings. There were worn, leather military boots that went up to the middle of her calves on her feet and black gloves on her hands. Around her waist was a black belt that held two gun holsters and what looked like extra cases of ammo for the two pistols in the holsters.

The woman hopped down from her spot at the entrance platform and walked over to the group. "Hi everyone."

"Skyhawk, this is the new team," Red Robin announced. "Team, this is Gabrielle D'Angelo."

"Call me Gabby," Gabby amended, speaking with a slight Canadian accent. "Or Skyhawk during missions."

"She will be your pilot while you are out on missions," Red Robin continued.

"You can fly this thing?" Jun asked.

"You bet, Blue. I can pilot just about anything," Skyhawk replied, confidently. "You guys worry about the missions themselves, and leave the flying to me."

"And what about those?" Jun questioned, pointing to the pistols at her waist nervously. "Don't tell me you use those."

"When necessary, yeah," Skyhawk responded. "Why? Problem with guns?"

"Just…keep them away from me, okay?" Jun ordered, placing himself on the other side of Haunt and Brightside, as far away from the armed woman as he could. He forced himself to stop shaking.

Gabby cocked her head at him before turning back to Red Robin. "The Doctor's finishing up the last bit on the stealth mode. I'm going to do another systems check."

Skyhawk gave a salute to her new team (a true salute, not a pretend or mocking one) and headed back into the plane. Brightside watched her skeptically.

"You sure she can fly something like this?" she asked. "She doesn't look any older than us."

"Skyhawk has more experience flying than someone twice her age," Red Robin confirmed. He began walking past the airplane to a computer terminal on the other side of the hanger bay. "Trust me, she's reliable."

"Who's this doctor she mentioned?" Lancet inquired.

"He's not a medical doctor, if that's what you're wondering," the eldest hero said. "He's a technological genius in charge of the modifications to the _Goliath_. He's our technical support…when we can get him to work with us at least."

"Are you talking about who I think you are?" Haunt wondered.

As if on cue, a man who looked to be not quite thirty stood from his position behind the terminal. He likely had African-American heritage, if his dark skin and black, evenly combed hair was any indication. He was easily Haunt's height, but with a more top-heavy build. The man wore a white lab coat with black trousers and shoes. The man took in the people standing before him. It was a little unnerving to look at him, not because of his general appearance, but because behind his glasses were a pair of haunted, hopeless green eyes. Brightside shivered when his eyes landed on her, as short as his gaze was.

"Everyone, this is Doctor Galaxy," Red Robin introduced. "As I said, he is the one responsible for the changes to the plane, and will be acting as your—"

"The modifications to the _Goliath _are complete, Red Robin," Doctor Galaxy interrupted, his tone short and impatient. "If there is nothing else, I will be heading home."

"The Team is going to New York anyway," Red Robin offered. "Perhaps you can wait until they leave and they can drop you off at home?"

"No, I will take the Zeta Tubes," he replied as he turned to leave.

"Good to see you, Doctor," Haunt called out to him suddenly. Doctor Galaxy paused, turned his head slightly, and nodded before exiting the hanger. Kieran returned his gaze to Red Robin. "How's he doing?"

"I'm sure you can tell, Kieran," Red Robin said, nearly groaning. "Anyway, you will be leaving for the mission in two hours. That should give Skyhawk enough time to perform any last checks and for you to prepare a plan."

"What preparations are we supposed to do exactly?" Haunt asked.

"Follow me," he ordered.

The group proceeded to walk behind the computer terminal to another table with a variety of gadgets sitting on top. Most of it was equipment used by crime scene investigators: powders, brushes, bags, vials, cameras, magnifying lenses, tweezers, latex gloves…the list went on. At the side of the table were three utility belts, with multiple pockets and compartments that at the moment looked empty.

"I'm giving you some tools for the investigation," Red Robin instructed. "Each of you will get a utility belt carrying some of the equipment seen here. Lancet, you already have a belt, so just fit in what you have space for."

Olivia gave a smile and a nod.

"Unfortunately, the scene has been gone over multiple times by police, so much of the evidence from the initial attack is likely compromised," said the cloaked hero. "However, whoever has been returning to the scene likely has left new evidence. Your mission is to enter the Empire State Building, pretending to be tourists, stay hidden until nightfall, and then investigate the scene and collect as much evidence as possible. Take samples or photographs of anything that seems odd or out of place, even if you aren't sure if it's relevant or not to the crime."

"So we're entering as civilians and then changing once we're inside?" Kieran clarified.

"That's right."

"Will that work?" Jun inquired. "I mean, wouldn't it be easier to sneak in after it's already dark?"

"The crime scene is at the top of the Empire State Building, Jun," Red Robin teased. "Do you know how tall it actually is?"

Jun blushed. "Ah, good…point."

"Don't worry, I did a covert op the same way long ago, when I was about your age," Red Robin comforted them. "Just don't blow anything up in the process."

"Is that what happened during your mission?" Olivia asked. He sounded like he was completely serious.

"Yes, but that's a discussion for another time," he commanded. "Everyone take a belt and fill it. You can change into civilian clothing on the plane."

* * *

_New York Airspace_

_July 21, 14:33 EDT_

Skyhawk tilted the controls to the _Goliath_ ever so slightly to keep the plane on track to Newark International Airport. This was one of the simpler, and less dangerous, missions she had been on for the past few months. Others had involved transport League members to places such as Bialya, mostly under the cover of night, China and Korea for covert operations. Some of them she even became involved in, laying down cover fire for ground troops. This one, however, was a simple delivery of Team members.

She certainly wasn't complaining though. A mission was a mission after all. She was just happy that Red Robin trusted her with all these missions as much as he did.

"_Goliath_ to Newark International, checking in," she said over the radio. "_Goliath_ to Newark tower. Requesting permission to land."

"Newark tower to _Goliath_," the other man on the other side of the radio replied. "You are clear for landing. ETA twenty minutes."

"Roger that."

Haunt walked up behind the pilot, purposely making some noise as to not surprise her. Skyhawk glanced over her shoulder at him, smiled and then returned her attention to her controls. Haunt sat in the co-pilot's seat and looked out the front windows.

"What is our ETA?" he asked.

"Twenty minutes," Skyhawk replied. "We've got clearance at the airport. Red Robin's got some connections all right."

"How long have you been in America?" Haunt inquired.

"A few months. I like it," she answered. "The Justice League keeps me busy, with some real missions."

"Real missions?"

"My dad up in Canada only let me in on small missions. Nothing important," Gabby explained. "Red Robin's different. I actually feel like I'm doing some good here, you know. This is the first time I've been flying American skies during the day though."

"Really?" Haunt voiced. "Have your missions all been at night until now?"

"Pretty much," she confirmed. She took a moment to look at him. "How about you?"

"Some of both, but my dad would try to keep my missions during the day as much as he could," Kieran described. "He was concerned about me being out alone at night."

"Sounds like he was worried about you," said Gabby. "You're lucky he let you get the experience you have."

"Yeah…lucky," Haunt repeated, just as his mind turned to the conversation he had with Red Robin just a little while ago.

"_**Everyone ready?" Red Robin asked, standing before the **_**Goliath**_** with his hands on his hips. "Any last minute preparations you need?"**_

"_**No, I think we're ready," Olivia answered.**_

"_**Does anyone have any questions before I set you loose?" Again, the answer was in the negative. Red Robin chuckled. "You guys are making this too easy. Well, if you do need anything, you can contact Skyhawk or Superboy, who, like I said, will be staying here as ops manager."**_

"_**Where will you be?" Brightside inquired.**_

"_**Working with Batman on the disappearances," he replied. "I'm following a few leads. I may have something when you return."**_

_**Brightside said nothing, although she noticed that both Haunt and Lancet looked at each other when he said that.**_

"_**If there is really nothing else, you better get started," Red Robin ordered. "Haunt, you're squad leader. Good luck, all of you."**_

"_**What?" Haunt snapped.**_

"_**Now we have a question," Red Robin chortled.**_

"_**I'm in charge?"**_

"_**That's what I said."**_

"…_**Can I speak to you privately?" Haunt requested. Red Robin nodded and the two of them took a few strides away from the rest of the group. Kieran spun on his heel. "You want me to be what?"**_

_**Red Robin stared at him. "Squad leader, for this mission."**_

"_**Are you serious?" Haunt sputtered. "I've never led a squad before."**_

"_**Perhaps, but you are the best of the four of you for the job," the older hero explained. "Felicity doesn't have the experience necessary to lead. Jun, although experienced, doesn't have the maturity for a leadership position right now. And while Olivia has the focus for it, she is a little occupied with worrying about her brother right now."**_

"_**And I'm not?" Haunt argued. "I'm not even given a choice in this?"**_

"_**You sound like me," Red Robin said. "See how it works out this time. If you really dislike it so much, I'll pick someone else."**_

He was the designated leader because he was the most experienced, according to Red Robin. Kieran had to keep telling himself that. Honestly, he sort of felt like he was picked by process of elimination. He knew Red Robin had not meant that, but his mind interpreted it that way regardless. It wasn't that Kieran hated the idea of leading; far from it, he could easily see himself leading a squad at some point. He just wasn't sure he was up for it at that particular moment in time. Kieran's mind kept wandering to Malcolm, praying that whatever The Collector was doing to him wasn't too traumatic and that he was all right.

What was he doing here, on this mission? He was wasting time! He needed to be looking for Malcolm! The League was supposed to be helping him find his brother!

"Arriving at Newark International Airport in ten minutes," Skyhawk announced, breaking Haunt of his thoughts. "Red Robin already informed the TSA about the investigation, so we are clear to land."

"Better tell the others to change into civilian clothes, I guess," Kieran decided. He stood from the co-pilot's seat to return to the cabin. "Keep me informed if anything goes wrong, Skyhawk?"

"You bet, Haunt," she responded. "Hey, you're going to do fine, you know?"

Kieran smiled. "Thanks Gabby. I need all the confidence I can get."

* * *

_New York City, New York_

_July 21, 15:01 EDT_

"How's your leg feeling, Kieran?" Felicity asked her companion.

"It's better," he replied. It was a half-truth. The wound _was_ better, but it still throbbed in pain a little when he walked. Kieran was able to keep himself from limping though. He couldn't let the others know he was still hurting. He was a leader who was a wimp from an injury from over two weeks ago. Wouldn't that be a hoot?

"Where's Central Park? How about Broadway? Do you think we have time for a museum or two?" Olivia listed off, her speech running together rather quickly. "Are we taking the New York Underground?"

"The what?" Felicity wondered.

"The Underground!" she repeated with an enthusiastic tone. "London's got the Underground, and I heard that New York has one too. Are we taking it?"

"I think we better just take a bus," Kieran answered. "We're not that far from the Empire State Building."

"Oh, can we go to the Statue of Liberty before the mission?" Olivia declared, seemingly ignoring him. She was practically jumping up and down with excitement. "Do we have time?"

"We're on a mission, Olivia," Kieran told her. "We need to focus on that."

"Why can't we sneak a small trip in?" Jun inquired. "Nightfall isn't for hours anyway."

…_Wow, Jun,_ Zarcen said. _For a moment, I thought I'd have to argue with you to go spend some free time with your new friends._

_There's some time for a little fun, isn't there? _Jun inwardly smiled. _I want to see New York as badly as she does._

"I…We should focus on the mission," Kieran reasoned.

"Red Robin did say this mission wasn't time sensitive," Jun debated, his smile spreading externally now.

"We can focus afterwards," Olivia added in.

"I don't—" Kieran began.

"Please?!" Jun and Olivia said, nearly simultaneously.

Kieran was unable to resist the bright-eyed pair who were staring at him, hands clasped in a pleading pose. He sighed.

"All right," he surrendered. "A short trip, but that's it. We have to be in the Empire State Building before it closes."

The two younger teens shouted in delight and headed towards the bus station. They started to look up when the next bus that would take them to the docks headed for Liberty Island was departing.

"Hey, I, uh, noticed you aren't wearing your glasses right now," Jun said to Olivia.

"Well, we will _eventually_ be on a mission, so I wore my contacts today," she described. "Left my glasses at HQ. Didn't want something to happen to them."

"Yeah, good idea," Jun murmured. He wasn't sure if he was disappointed he didn't see her in her glasses again or relieved that he wouldn't have to see her like that while he tried to focus on the mission…when he finally was supposed to focus on it.

_Jun, you are a very odd young man sometimes,_ Zarcen laughed.

Felicity walked a few paces behind the group, observing them from a short distance away. Kieran had noticed that she had barely spoken so far, with only the occasional question or small remark both during the briefing and during the airplane ride to their current location. She had been keeping to herself, far more than he would have expected her to. Jun and Olivia seemed to jump at the idea of the mission really quickly, but Felicity did not seem remotely excited.

"You doing okay, Felicity?" he asked her.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I'm okay," she muttered back. "Just…a little nervous I guess."

"First mission getting to you?" Kieran construed. Felicity gave a small nod. "I know how you're feeling. I'm nervous too."

"You haven't been acting like it," Felicity stated. "You've been pretty calm about this whole thing so far."

"Trust me," he comforted her, patting her on the shoulder and directing her to the bus station where their two comrades were still waiting. "I'm anything but calm."

* * *

_Empire State Building, New York_

_July 21, 22:16 EDT_

_You must tell Haunt that I am not sure what to think of his covert techniques,_ Zarcen said to Jun. _I do not know if I should consider this brilliant or just, as you would say, 'lame.'_

Jun had to keep himself from laughing out loud. He didn't want to blow their cover yet because he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

Following their little detour to the Statue of Liberty, the Team had then moved on to business. They had spent a few hours touring the Empire State Building before hiding until the coast was clear. As for their hiding place? It really was one of the silliest ideas ever. The saddest thing about his current circumstances was that not only did Haunt order them into this situation, but also that he ended up taking a page out of Red Robin's book when he decided to have the Team do this.

Yes, it was Red Robin's idea that they hide in a bathroom until nightfall, and all the tourists and employees had left the Empire State Building, before starting their investigation. It was both genius and ridiculous at the same time.

Despite this fact, it ended up being very effective. In the bustle of all the people coming and going from the building, no one noticed when four teenagers didn't leave. They sequestered themselves in the restrooms and no one had noticed anything amiss. Were people really that unobservant?

"Jun?" Kieran called from the stall next to him. "Got the mind-link connected?"

"Not yet. Hold on," he replied. Jun concentrated for a moment. **"Can everyone hear me?"**

"**I can,"** Kieran answered him. **"Brightside? Lancet? You two ready?"**

"**Ready!"** Lancet said eagerly.

"**Ready,"** Brightside answered, a little more subdued.

"**Okay, let's go,"** Haunt ordered. The two young men left the bathroom to meet the two young women outside. He took account of the three heroes he was now in charge of and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. **"Remember this is a covert operation. We go in, get the evidence, and get out. We're on radio silence now. Any communication must be through the mind-link. And keep out of eyesight if any security guards show up. We don't want to be spotted."**

Brightside looked down at her rather dazzling yellow and white costume, at Lancet's shining yellow armor, and at Haunt's white and pale green outfit. Really, Blue Gentleman's dark blue costume was the only one of the group that could be considered remotely "covert." Brightside was about to say something to that effect when Haunt stopped her.

"**Yeah, I know, we're not covert in the slightest,"** he admitted. **"We're just going to have to work with what we have right now. I'll ask Red Robin to make more stealthy costumes for us later."**

The Team headed up the remaining flights of stairs to the scene of the crime. Of the one hundred and two levels that made up the tower, only ninety-three still stood in one piece. The top floors had been blown away, and the floors immediately below were covered in a darkened ash. The cloudless night sky would have allowed the group to see the stars if the city light below did not fade out their light. The supporting metal architecture had been sliced cleanly, which seemed odd considering that the police reports stated the attack involved fire of some sort. The ninety-fourth floor was only half gone, with one of the long walls extending upwards still standing. It was also covered in ash, making the entire area look like a giant shadow without anything blocking the corresponding light.

"**Okay…split up and look around," **Haunt stated. **"Document anything that looks weird…"**

"**Weirder than what we'd expect, you mean?"** Lancet asked.

"**Yeah."**

"**The building's blown to pieces,"** Brightside mentioned as she started looking around the ash on the ground for any footprints. **"How much weirder can you get?"**

The Team split up and began searching. There wasn't a lot to see, to be honest, but each one took turns dusting the area, looking for footprints or anything else that could be considered evidence. Haunt spent most of his time looking at cleanly cut metal along the edge of the remaining rooms, wondering what kind of force would be necessary to cut metal that way.

_There's something very odd about this place,_ Zarcen remarked.

_Like we didn't already know that,_ Blue Gentleman asserted.

Zarcen groaned…as close to a groan as he could. _I'm sensing some very odd energy here. Some kind of…magical force. I can't tell exactly what it is, but it's unnatural._

Blue Gentleman paused, stopping himself from taking a picture of some of the ruined metal support structures. That can't be good. He lowered the camera and turned around.

"**Guys, Zarcen's sensing some weird force around here,"** he told them.

Haunt turned to him. **"Does he sense another telepath?"**

"**No, he describes it as magical."**

"…**Magical, huh,"** Haunt thought, rubbing his chin. For just a moment he paused, and then walked to the center of the ruined floor. **"Okay, guys. Everyone keep an eye out while I get a Psychic Impression."**

"**We've got your back, Haunt,"** Lancet reassured him, standing a few feet away with her spear ready.

Haunt took a deep breath and kneeled, placing one hand onto the ash-covered floor. It was always more difficult to get a Psychic Impression from a location rather than from an object, usually because there was a lot more going on at a particular place than there was related to a particular item. He braced himself for the headache. Most of the memories from the past two days involved policemen and crime scene investigators walking around and talking about nonsense that seemed ridiculous even by superhero standards. However, he eventually ended up at a memory that was far more interesting.

_**Kieran found himself in the same room, still in the middle of the night, but based on the amount of disturbed ash and rubble it must have been two night prior.**_

_**At the far side of the ruins, near the one remaining wall that still had some roof at the top, stood the man that he now knew by the name Golem. His blond hair looked more haggard than during the last Psychic Impression, and he had an expression of frustration that was barely turning into rage. He was staring at something near or on the wall, although Haunt himself couldn't see what it was due to the poor lighting.**_

"_**What did she do?!" Golem growled. He looked like he was about to punch something, namely the wall. "How do I reverse it?!"**_

The scene ended abruptly as Haunt opened his eyes. He considered what he had just seen. Golem had been looking at something or for something, he couldn't exactly tell. And who was this "she" he was referring to?

"**What did you see?"** Brightside asked him.

Kieran noticed that the other three in his group were watching him intensely, eager to know what the Psychic Impression had shown him. The white-haired boy stood back up and walked over to the wall that Golem had been cursing at in his vision.

"**Golem was here all right,"** he replied through the mind-link. **"He was looking for something on this wall. Someone he just called 'she' did something here. I couldn't see what."**

"**It doesn't look like much at all,"** Lancet observed.

"**Zarcen says that the magic is strongest over here,"** Blue Gentleman added.

Haunt studied the wall carefully. Lancet was right; there wasn't much to it. It was just a large, black wall with no special markings or decorations. The black paint hid most of anything that might have been on it…and Haunt promptly slapped himself in the forehead. He wiped down the wall with his hand, removing the ash that he idiotically hadn't noticed before and exposing the grayish wall underneath.

As he continued to clean the wall, some of the black did not wipe away. He followed it with both hands, smearing away the black residue and revealing three large symbols embedded into the concrete. The symbols weren't burned into wall (there was no evidence of that). It was more like the symbols had been tattooed into it, if the concrete was the equivalent to skin. The symbols took up almost the entire upper half of the wall, with one symbol starting where the previous finished until they all ran together.

"**What on earth is this?" **Haunt wondered.

"**They look like runes,"** Lancet said. **"There' plenty of Anglo-Saxon runes all over Europe and Britain. I'm not familiar enough with them to translate though."**

"**I wonder what they mean,"** Brightside thought.

Haunt continued to search the wall for more clues as Brightside approached the runic symbols. She slowly lifted a hand and ran her fingers down one of the black lines, only to pull them back as her finger burned in pain. She gasped out loud and cradled her hand to her chest.

"**Brightside?"** said Haunt, his attention immediately snapping from the runes to her. The blonde girl watched as he gently took her hand and held it in his own, looking at the nasty burn that was now on her small, gloveless hand. They looked at each other in confusion. Haunt carefully pressed his own fingers into her hand and performed a Pain Transfer, hissing at the sting in the process. **"Man, that really must've hurt."**

"**But why did it hurt me and not you?"** Brightside pondered.

There was no answer to that of course, and Haunt dropped her hand.

"**Here, I'll take a picture," **Blue Gentleman offered, pulling the camera back out of his belt and snapping a few photographs.

As the other three were busy with all this, Lancet slightly turned her head to listen behind her. She couldn't help but feel like something was watching them. She could have sworn she heard something nearby. It sounded a little like footfalls, and she could tell that just a little bit of the dust on the ground was disturbed with each step. It was something…or someone…who was not necessarily covert but seemed to have some sort of natural stealth, given the surroundings. If there was one thing Lancet did not like, it was being snuck up on.

There it was again!

"**Someone's here!" **she declared, lifting her lance and rushing behind her.

"**Lancet! Wait!"** Haunt called to her through the mind-link.

She ignored her squad leader, however, in favor of trying to catch up with whoever had been watching them. She leapt down the stairs that she heard the sound come from, rushing to the floor below. Lancet had paused for a moment to get her bearings when she heard the sound of someone running down the next flight of stairs from the opposite side. She followed, her own boots crashing against the ground with every leap. Stealth was not her current concern, obviously.

"**Damn it, Lancet!"** she heard Haunt command her in her mind. **"Get back here! Red Robin said not to engage!"**

Lancet pursued the mystery person down another flight before she managed to tackle him from behind. The person gave out a grunt of a young man with a deep voice. In the shadows, she wasn't able to see any details of his face except that he had dark hair and skin. She pinned him to the ground and pointed her spear at him.

"Hey hey hey!" He cried out, placing his hands on her boot that was pressing on his chest. "I didn't do anything! What'd I do?!"

"Who are you and why were you watching us?" she demanded. "This is an official crime scene. You can't be here."

"Hey, you guys were invading onto _my_ crime scene first!" the boy declared. "Look, let me up and we can talk about this?"

Lancet contemplated this for a moment…but just for a moment.

"Do you take me for a fool?" she said. "The minute I let you up you'll run off again."

"You're right. How could I think of fooling you, with your little spear and armor and cute accent? What chance do I have?" he teased. Lancet narrowed her eyes as she noticed wisps of dark shadows begin to form around his body. "Psych!"

With that statement, the dark shadows that surrounded the boy seemed to swallow him up, and he vanished into the ground. Lancet's boot connected to the floor as he disappeared into the darkness. She grunted in surprise and confusion. She glanced around, wondering if he would show up again.

_Umbrakinesis?_ She thought.

"**Lancet, where the hell are you?"** she heard Haunt through the mind-link.

"What have we here now?" a lighter voice said from behind her. Just as she was turning around to attack with her spear, the person grabbed Lancet by the throat and slammed her into the nearest wall. The impact on the back of her head made her see stars. "What brings a child like you to a place like this?"

Lancet blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision to see who attacked her. She had dropped her spear, leaving her defenseless. She gasped for breath and tried to pry the gloved hand away from her throat. Once she was able to see again, she realized that a blonde man in blue armor was holding her up by her neck, partially cutting off her air supply. She realized that this must be Golem; he fit the description Haunt had given the Team perfectly.

"I said, what are you doing here?" he demanded, tightening his grip. Golem stared hard at her. "I've seen you before. Where?"

"We…We've never met," she gasped out, trying hard to pull his fingers off her.

"No, maybe not," Golem conceded. "But you do look familiar…"

Whatever Golem was going to say next was cut off when he assaulted from behind. He was slammed in the back of the neck by a flattened hand. Lancet dropped to the ground and took a deep breath, rubbing her sore throat. Once she looked up, she saw Haunt appear literally out of thin air. He picked Golem up by the front of his armor and threw him across the room. She concluded that he must have some kind of minor invisibility, in order to be able to sneak up on Golem the way he did.

Golem looked up at the white-haired man.

"You…Ghostwise's kid…" he stuttered out. "You're dead…The Collector said you were dead!"

"Being thrown into a river doesn't mean I died," Haunt replied to him. Without taking his eyes off Golem, he spoke to Olivia. "Lancet, are you all right?"

"I'm okay," she answered. She took Blue Gentleman's hand when it appeared in front of her and hoisted herself up, and Brightside handed her fallen spear to her.

"So, why are you here and why are you so interested in those runes upstairs?" Haunt demanded of Golem. "What do the runes mean?"

"You are looking for answers that only the inscriber and the dead know," Golem responded rather cryptically. He smirked maliciously. "Why don't you go ask your father?"

That obviously didn't sit well with Kieran. Without another word, Haunt leapt and began punching and kicking him in a flurry of martial arts. The two battled, exchanging blows back and forth. Haunt let up after a moment and backed away, taking in the bruised and bleeding face of his opponent. At the pause Golem took the opportunity to jump back and upstairs through a hole in the ceiling.

"Whoa," Blue Gentleman said. "I never want to get on your bad side, Haunt."

Haunt ignored his jest and rushed after Golem. He saw that the man had returned to the wall and simply started punching it.

"Damn this thing!" he yelled out. He spun around at the sound of Haunt coming up behind him and glared. "This has got nothing to do with you, Haunt! Leave me alone!"

"If you're working with The Collector, it has everything to do with me!" Haunt argued. His three comrades ran up behind him, battle ready but did not attack. **"Remember, everyone, do not engage!"**

"**Little too late for that,"** Brightside mused.

"If you want answers," Golem taunted, placing one hand on the metal structures that made up the remains of the wall. "You'll have to catch me first!"

The wall began to glow a bright orange color, emanating from his hand and spreading across the wall, taking in the metal and concrete. The steel support structures rose up, leaving only the portion of the wall with the runes, cracking the concrete into pieces and sending large portions crashing to the streets far below. The steel warped and bent itself, taking on the form of a large horse. Harder pieces of metal formed the horse's hooves, sharpening them into solid points. Golem jumped onto the back of the horse and began galloping around the area.

The horse's gallop pounded on the floor, causing it to fracture and snap. That, combined with the support beams that were taken to form the metal construct, caused the structural integrity beneath the group to give way and the floor collapsed. Golem and the horse leaped just in time to avoid the collapse and landed near the edge of the building. Brightside and Blue Gentleman took to the air to avoid damage, while Haunt and Lancet fell with the crumpling floor.

"**Guys! Are you okay?"** Brightside called out. She heard Golem laughing above her, and she turned her head to glare at him.

"I may not have my full powers right now," he hooted. "But I can still take the four of you down. Why don't you just surrender quietly?"

"I'm not surrendering that quickly," Lancet proclaimed as she removed herself from the debris, apparently unharmed.

Before Haunt could stop her Lancet pushed a button on the side of her spear, and with a click the spear tip was launched from its end towards the horse, a grappling rope following it. Golem turned the horse to its side, and the spear tip embedded itself in the side of the metal beast's neck. Golem snarled as Lancet hoisted herself towards him using the retractable rope back into her weapon. She landed a strong kick to his face, knocking him from the horse and into the center of the ruined room.

Blue Gentleman lifted the horse with his telekinesis, barely able to do so with all his concentration. The horse began to flail as it tried to run in mid-air. Lancet jumped down from the creature, setting herself on the edge of the wall.

"**I can't keep this up for long, guys,"** he informed them. Jun could feel that Zarcen wanted to say something, but opted not to in case that broke Jun's focus. **"This thing is heavy…"**

"**Let me try,"** Brightside offered. She flew up a little closer to the horse and shot one of her Searing Rays at it. She maintained the blast for a few seconds, heating the metal up so that it turned red. Once she stopped the attack, however, the metal cooled back to normal. **"Well, I could keep blasting it until it melts, but chances are I'll run out of power before then."**

By this point, Golem had regained his footing and jumped over the concrete blocks and remaining steel beams to get back on the horse. Both Haunt and Lancet both leapt after him, Haunt going after Golem and Lancet jumping onto the horse's back to stop him in case Haunt didn't get to him first.

Haunt was able to tackle Golem to the side, and the two began exchanging punches again. Every time Golem managed to connect a good attack to Haunt, the younger man performed a Pain Transfer to rid himself of the physical effects, causing Golem to groan with each of his own blows.

Meanwhile, Blue Gentleman was having a harder time keeping the metal horse construct in the air, with the way it was whirling around. Lancet moved to the head and tried to get it under control, but with little success. Jun eventually had to drop his telekinesis, and the horse construct landed on its feet with Olivia still on its back. It galloped and bucked around, knocking both Brightside and Blue Gentleman back into the ruined building. Brightside groaned as her head hit some of the rubble.

The horse bucked a few more times as Lancet held on for dear life. It was more difficult to do so when she was also trying to hold onto her spear, but if there was one thing she learned it was that she should never let her weapon go if she could help it. Golem had managed to break away from his combat with Haunt, knocking the younger man away, and climbed back to his horse. He grabbed Lancet by the shoulder and flung her off the horse and over the edge of the building.

Lancet let out a loud yell as she tumbled down from the top of the Empire State Building to the streets below. She still had her lance in her grip, and she swung it around to shoot another grapping rope into the side of the building. As she was doing so, she spotted Golem springing onto the back of his metal construct as it began to run down the side of the building. The horse ran past her and eventually landed on the ground without injury. Soon enough Golem and the horse were running down the streets of New York City and out of sight.

She made another shot of her spear tip at the side of the building, and was able to strike the tip into one of the more solid locations. The rope connecting the spear to the building pulled taught and jerked her a bit, but it stopped her fall. Lancet looked down at the (at least) eighty stories below her and gulped.

Olivia was about to call out to the others through the mind-link when one of her wrists was grabbed by someone else. She looked over to see who it was, thinking it was either Jun or Felicity who had come to pick her up, when she realized that it was the same boy she had been chasing before. She still couldn't make out his features very well in the dark, but she could tell that he was hanging halfway out of the building…but he wasn't out a window. From his waist down, he was hanging out of a large shadow created by one of the windowsills above them.

…Hanging out of a shadow? What on earth?

"You okay?" he asked. It was his voice that she truly recognized.

The rope on her spear snapped as he pulled her up and through the shadow, following him to another destination. The boy deposited her on the ground, not gently but not roughly, and the portal inside the shadow closed up behind them. Olivia glanced around and realized that he had brought them back to the top of the Empire State Building where Haunt and Blue Gentleman were waiting. Brightside flew up from the side; it seemed that she had gone after Lancet in hopes of catching her, but had not reached her before she had been swallowed by the shadow portal.

Lancet looked at the boy who saved her. He was trembling a little; the energy it took to teleport someone through shadows the way he could must have taken a toll on him. She was cut off from speaking to him when Haunt cried out instead.

"Hey!" he yelled. He pointed right at the two of them, and the boy's head snapped in his direction. "Stop right there!"

"Outta here!" the boy cried as he jumped back into the shadows.

"Hold it!" Brightside wasn't having any of it, and her hand began to shine. This was not a Searing Ray, but rather just a source of light in her palm that lit up the surrounding around, leaving no darkness or shadows except those created by the people standing around.

The boy's shadow was still connected to him however, and it was immediately obvious to Jun that he could teleport himself away using that. To prevent his, Blue Gentleman lifted him up from the ground with his telekinesis. The young man floundered around as his feet no longer had any traction, which resulted in him actually hanging upside down.

From this position, and with Felicity's powers providing more light, Olivia was finally able to get a better look at the young man she had been chasing before. He looked like he might be a little shorter than Kieran but taller than Jun (if he had been standing right side up at least), with dark black eyes that seemed to swallow up the light from Brightside's hand. His dark brown skin, most likely of African-American origin, reflected the light very well, and his black dreadlocks looked like they would probably reach his shoulders if his hair wasn't hanging beneath his head. He had a lean and lightly muscled form, which was evident underneath a tight black bodysuit with a hood that hung behind his head. A belt was slung across his chest with multiple pockets, similar to Lancet's in fact. He wore fingerless gloves and all-terrain black boots. Everything about him shouted darkness, but not necessarily in a bad way.

"Hey! Lemme go!" he demanded, trying to move back to the ground in a swimming motion.

"Relax, we're not going to hurt you," Haunt told him. "We just want to talk."

"Can we talk with my feet on the ground?" the boy requested.

"Sorry about that," Blue Gentleman responded. He was about to release the boy when Lancet stopped him. "What?"

"Last time I fell for that trick he disappeared on me," she informed.

"Oh, right," he said. Alarm bells suddenly started to go off, and police sirens began to resonate from the New York City streets. "Oh man, guys. Police."

"They know we're here though, right?" Brightside asked.

"These officers might not know about that. We're sure to be arrested," Haunt groaned. "Red Robin said this was supposed to be covert. If he finds out we were caught by the police…"

"I have a place where you can hide for a while," the dark man offered. "Let me down and I'll show you."

"How do we know you won't bolt once we release you?" Haunt wondered.

"Well, you're just gonna have to trust me, huh?"

Haunt contemplated this for a minute, taking into account the police sirens that were becoming louder by the second. It probably didn't help that Brightside's light must have attracted a lot of attention, since it was obviously unnatural for such a light to be present at the top of the Empire State Building after it had been destroyed a few weeks earlier.

"Okay fine," Kieran yielded. "Let him down."

Blue Gentleman turned the boy onto his feet again and gently lowered him to the floor while Brightside extinguished her light. The boy took a deep breath and brushed some nonexistent dust off his arms and chest. He then turned to Haunt and smiled.

"Meet me at the alleyway on Madison Avenue and 26th street, by Madison Square Garden," he ordered. He then looked at each of their costumes and laughed out loud. "And for crying out loud, try and stay out of sight."

With that, the boy vanished into his shadow at his feet, almost as if he was diving into a pool of water. The Team looked at each other.

"**Okay, let's move,"** Haunt commanded, making sure the mind-link was still established. His mental tone clearly showed that he was disappointed in the events that had occurred. **"Blue Gentleman, can you carry Lancet and me to the ground? Brightside, meet us down there. We'll reconvene a few blocks away. Try and stay out of sight of the police."**

* * *

It didn't take long for the four young heroes to find Madison Square Garden, and perhaps even less time for them to find the intersection the mysterious boy had recommended. It was hard to stay out of sight, since New York City was known as "The City that Never Sleeps" and there were people still walking around past midnight.

The group ducked into an alleyway across from Madison Square Garden, trying to stay out of the public eye as much as possible. They had been successful so far (or they believed so, since no one had called them on acting suspiciously or called the police on them), although it was possible that the people about were either not very perceptive and didn't notice them or they simply didn't care. Whatever the case, they were able to stay hidden so far, which was fortunate for them as there were still police cars everywhere. They could hear the police radios ordering the officers to look for anyone who might be involved with the strange happenings at the Empire State Building…which also told them that, at least for the time being, Golem had managed to make his escape.

Their biggest problem was Brightside. Even in the alleyway, she literally stuck out like a lit light bulb in the darkness. And she knew this.

"**You might as well stick a neon sign on me that says 'Suspicious Character Here!'"** she declared through her thoughts.

"**Are you sure we're in the right place?"** Lancet inquired.

"**Partly,"** Haunt answered her. **"The last time I was in New York I was five. I don't remember it that well."**

The group didn't have to do much besides wait. It was only a few minutes later that the boy from before appeared. He couldn't sneak up on Jun, who spun around and stared at him as he walked up to the group.

"Hey guys," he greeted, his gaze staying on Lancet and Brightside a little longer than on the men. "Fancy seeing you here."

"You said you had a place we could hide?" Haunt questioned him, not in the mood for games. He needed to get his team off the streets for a while before Skyhawk could pick them up. "Preferably somewhere close?"

"Oh yeah, very close," the other whispered. "Follow me."

The group moved down some alleyways for a few blocks, pausing only to avoid the police cars that were still driving around searching. It was only safe to assume that they were looking for the Team, but they honestly couldn't be sure. It didn't matter either way; they wanted to stay out of sight. Even if they were arrested and Red Robin was able to bail them out, it would take a long time and would involve a lot of questions that Haunt was sure Red Robin would not want to have to answer. It was better to avoid that if at all possible.

The young man stopped at an apartment complex and climbed up a few levels of fire escapes. On the sixth floor, he knocked on one of the windows and waited. He glanced back at the group as they climbed (or flew) to meet him, and then turned his gaze back to the window when it was opened.

"Zyon, you idiot!" someone hissed to him. "Get in here!"

Another young man who looked almost identical to the first (apparently named Zyon), except for perhaps slightly shorter hair, stood at the now open window for just a second before backing away to let Zyon inside. The window led to the bedroom of a typical high school boy. Books were piled up on the desk, and posters of different movies hung on the walls. A rather expensive-looking camera sat on a tripod in the corner of the room. The resident of the room stared in awe as Zyon and the other four entered his room through the window.

"Zyon, who're these people?" he asked.

"Invaders on my turf, Rai," Zyon replied. "Your folks home?"

"No, they're at one of their business dinners," Rai answered. He paused and then scowled. "Your turf? You went back to the Empire State Building _again_?"

"Hey, I had to—" Zyon began but was distracted by the sound of sirens outside. Rai raced to close his window again and pulled the curtains closed to block out anyone from looking inside. "Everyone, into the living room."

Jun, Olivia and Felicity looked at Kieran, who simply nodded to indicate that they should obey the command. The living room didn't have any windows, which was probably why Zyon had instructed them to hide there – there was no chance that someone (especially the police) would casually look inside and see them. As the group sat on the couch and plush chair, they could hear Zyon and Rai bantering back and forth.

"You're going to get yourself killed if you keep going back there, Zyon!" Rai hollered. "Why are you so irresponsible?"

"I'm not being irresponsible," Zyon argued back. "That woman caused my powers to go haywire and I'm going to figure out how and why."

"You're not going to get any more answers by staring at those symbols."

"Better than sitting around looking through books that don't tell me anything."

"Is anyone else royally confused?" Olivia asked, tapping her spear a little impatiently.

"Okay, everyone just calm down," Kieran ordered, his voice taking on forced tranquility. "Now, Zyon, is it?"

"That's me," Zyon confirmed. He took an exaggerated bow. "Zyon Carter, aka Shade, at your service. This is my best friend, Rai."

"You really shouldn't give away your secret identity like that, Zyon," Rai argued. "You don't know these people."

"Ah, they've already figured it out by now," Shade debated. "Besides, they're working against Golem and Pandora, so they've gotta be on our side."

"How do you know Golem?" Haunt inquired. "And who's Pandora?"

"Nah-uh. You guys raided on my turf first," Zyon said. He took a seat on the couch next to Olivia, sitting a little closer than he probably should have been. "You tell me your story first."

* * *

Felicity watched the nearby roads from her post in the study, which did have a few windows. She kept to the side behind the curtains to keep herself from being seen, and berated herself again for having a costume that stuck out so much in the nighttime. Felicity certainly didn't want to criticize the outfit Emma had designed and made for her, but it wasn't the best when she was trying to stay hidden. She planned to call Emma the next chance she got to see if she could get something for night or stealth missions that would be more appropriate.

She was relieved when the number of police patrols began to finally dwindle as the night wore on. Fewer of them drove about the streets and the individual police officers that walked around were thinning out. There was one time that a pair of women officers had come to Rai's door to ask him some questions, mostly regarding if he had seen any suspicious people walking around or if he had seen anything else unusual. That had been quite a scare. He was able to pretend like he knew nothing about the whole thing. Brightside gave Rai all the credit in the world for being an excellent actor.

"**Looks like the cops are giving up on the search,"** she reported to the others, who were still in the living room across the hall. **"They're coming around a lot less."**

"**Weird that they would have a search like this just for a couple of kids,"** Blue Gentleman stated.

"**You'd think they were looking for something more serious than us,"** Felicity wondered.

"**Well, maybe there were sightings of Golem and that horse thing of his,"** he reasoned. **"Maybe they're looking for him instead?"**

"**Can you come back in here, Brightside?"** Haunt requested. **"I'm finishing explaining our situation. Now it's Zyon's turn, and I want everyone here."**

Felicity was more than happy to leave her post and return to the others. She honestly felt a little useless just standing around and looking outside. She was sure that being a lookout was not something she enjoyed being, now that she had a chance at the job.

When she returned to the living room, she saw that both Zyon and Rai were still sitting and looking thoughtful. They glanced at each other multiple times as Kieran finished up their half of the scenario, and Felicity wondered for a moment if they had a mind-link of their own.

"We'd heard about the attack at the Justice League Festival on the news," Zyon told them after a few minutes of silence. "Didn't know it was that bad for our side."

"Will you answer our questions now?" Kieran inquired.

"Ask away," Zyon responded.

"Within reason," Rai added in.

"What do you know about the attack that took place July sixth at the Empire State Building?" Haunt asked. "How are Golem and this Pandora person involved?"

"Rai and I were hanging out around the area when I spotted that the top of the Empire State Building was on fire," Shade described. "It didn't look natural, so I decided to check it out."

"What do you mean, it didn't look natural?" Olivia asked from beside him.

Zyon looked over at her and gave her a roguish smile. "It's not natural for fire to be purple, is it?"

"Purple fire?" Jun said, recalling the debriefing from Red Robin that reported the same thing.

"Courtesy of Pandora," Shade explained. "She and Golem were fighting about something, I'm not sure what. Kind of like an old married couple, by the way they were yelling. Pretty funny, actually."

"The fire?" Kieran asked.

"Huh? Oh, right," Zyon said. "Golem had a bunch of his fire things running around and destroying the place."

"His fire elementals?" Haunt clarified.

"I guess, if they're called that," he continued. "Pandora kept casting spells that changed the normal fire into that dark fire, and she was absorbing it."

"Casting spells?" Olivia echoed. "We're dealing with a magic user?"

"That's right, Beautiful," Zyon answered her. "Pandora was casting all over the place. She even had this huge book that I bet has lists of spells too."

"**Beautiful?"** Jun and Olivia both thought-spoke, almost simultaneously.

"That book was bigger than even anything Rai's got in his room," Zyon joked, and Rai glared at him. "Come on, Rai, you such a bookworm sometimes that—"

"And those spells turned his elementals against him?" Kieran interrupted.

"Ah, sort of," Zyon explicated. "It was more like she turned them into her own fire and then absorbed them into her hands."

_It's not unusual for magic to change one type of energy into another, as long as the energy is present,_ Zarcen added. _It sounds as if Pandora was transforming Golem's fire energy into dark energy and using it for herself._

"Magic can be transformed from one energy type to another, can't it?" Jun partially relayed the message.

"**Is that from Zarcen?"** Haunt asked him, trying to keep the identity of Jun's mentor private.

"**Yeah,"** Jun replied simply.

"I've heard about that before," Kieran said out loud. "So they were fighting about something, and Pandora seemed to have the upper hand. What happened next?"

"Pandora cast a spell that put those symbols on that wall," Zyon resumed. "I know you guys saw them. Big graffiti stuff, only not."

"And what were you doing?" the white-haired one asked.

"Um, I was trying to get as many people out of the building as I could by then, by teleporting them through my shadow," Shade answered. "I can't do that very often. Takes too much energy. Anyway, something about those symbols made my powers go haywire, and then the building blew up…sort of. It was a small explosion."

"Your powers blew up the Empire State Building?" Kieran said, cynically.

"No!" came a shout from both Zyon and Rai, who had been quiet up until that point.

"I _meant_ that my powers went crazy, and then _Pandora_ blew it up with her magic," Zyon enlightened. "I was knocked out from the surge in my umbrakinesis. Pandora and Golem disappeared after that. Vanished into thin air."

"You mentioned before that your powers were changing from something Pandora did?" Felicity finally spoke.

"Yeah. Normally, I can use my umbrakinesis to manipulate shadows, like this," he said. He demonstrated by using his own shadow to pick up Lancet's spear and hold it up in the air. His shadow twirled it around for a moment before returning it to Olivia's outstretched hand. "But when Pandora made those symbols, I could do things ten times as often and as powerfully. My teleportation, for example, I was only able to use pretty short distances before. Now I can teleport from the top of the Empire State Building to the bottom in one jump."

"But he also can't control his powers as well as before," Rai included. "They keep backfiring on him too. It's getting harder and harder to keep it a secret from his family."

"I hate to say it, but Rai's right," Zyon disclosed, dropping his gaze a little. "I'm pretty sure my little sister, Carla, has seen me do it, unintentionally. Thankfully she's only four, so my mom chalks it up to just her imagination."

"Pandora and Golem disappeared after that spell?" Kieran asked again, trying to get back on topic.

"Yeah. Golem kept coming back though," said Zyon. "Kept muttering to himself about how to get rid of the symbols."

"**That fits with what I saw during my Psychic Impression at the scene,"** Haunt confirmed to the others.

"Did he ever see you?" Blue Gentleman asked.

"In shadows like that? Not once," the dark-skinned boy answered. He gave Lancet another grin. "I'm a little impressed that you noticed me there though."

"You wouldn't happen to know what those runes mean, do you?" Kieran asked.

"Nope. Sorry."

"Do you have any idea where either of them might have gone?"

"Can't say I do."

"What did Pandora look like?"

Zyon cocked and eyebrow and looked around thoughtfully, as if trying to recall the image of the woman. "She wore a long blue wizard's robe with a hood. She had this thin, braided, reddish-blonde hair and these really disturbing red eyes."

"Red eyes?" Lancet repeated.

Kieran looked at him and rubbed his chin, something that Felicity was slowly realizing was a sign that he was deep in thought.

"Zyon, would you be willing to come with us?" Haunt inquired. "We need to report all this to Red Robin, and it would be great if you could be there in case he has more questions."

"Red Robin? _The_ Red Robin?" Zyon said, jumping up from his seat in excitement. "You're kidding, right?"

"I'm not kidding," Haunt settled. "We could also use a more detailed description of Pandora, or maybe you could identify her if we show you a picture? We could use all the help we can get against Pandora and her group, whoever they end up being."

"So, I'd be part of your team that fights against bad guys and eventually joins the Justice League?" Zyon summarized.

"Well, that last part would be optional," Kieran specified. "But it would be a start if you'd like, and if Red Robin agrees with it, then yes."

"Count me in!" Zyon declared.

"Lancet, would you call Skyhawk and give her our coordinates to pick us up?" Haunt ordered the Scottish girl still sitting on the couch. "The police are probably finished searching this area, and the coast is clear enough for her to fly here in stealth mode."

Lancet stood and gave a salute before walking a little ways off from the group to contact Skyhawk through her communicator. Shade watched her with eager eyes, his smile still not fading from his expression.

"Of course, there are other benefits to this gig too," he said.

"Zyon, aren't you forgetting something?" Rai questioned him. Zyon turned his gaze from Olivia to his best friend, and the two stared at each other for a moment. It seemed like Rai had wanted him to realize something, and then rolled his eyes when he didn't. "Your mom and sister? What are you going to tell them? You can't just vanish off the face of the earth without a good reason."

"…I could say I'm sleeping over here?" Zyon offered. "That we got caught up playing video games or something?"

"Why am I always the one who ends up covering your tracks?" Rai wondered, although his tone did not sound terribly annoyed.

"Because…you're the most awesome best friend ever?" Zyon said with a shrug. "And I wouldn't know what I'd do without you?"

"Uh-huh," Rai uttered with a smirk. "Brown-noser."

* * *

"What's this one do?"

"Don't touch that!" Skyhawk ordered, slapping Shade's hands away from the _Goliath_'s cockpit controls. "This is delicate equipment. I need to focus on it to make sure we don't crash."

"Yeah, not crashing would be good," Zyon agreed, not taking his attention off the controls. "Hey, what's this do?"

"Don't touch that!" Skyhawk repeated.

However, this time she was unable to stop the slightly younger boy before he flipped one of the switches on her control panel. The plane suddenly fell into a nosedive, spinning on its long axis the whole way. The screams of the other four heroes could be heard in the cabin behind them. Skyhawk flipped the switch back to its original position and grabbed the controls. She managed to stabilize the plane and pulled it out of its nosedive. The young woman directed the _Goliath_ back to its correct altitude and waited a few minutes to make sure everything was back to normal. She then switched the plane to autopilot and rounded on Shade, who was laying on the floor on his back.

"That's…not…helping!" she hissed.

The pilot then literally threw him out of the plane's cockpit and shut the door in his face. Zyon gave a small shrug and walked back towards the cabin seats. He noticed that the Team was getting back on their feet from the spinning, and Lancet looked a little nauseous. Zyon just smiled nervously.

"Sorry," he said. "I was just curious. She didn't need to get on my case like that."

"Skyhawk is just very serious during a mission," Kieran observed. "Which I like. It makes her more reliable in my book."

Zyon just smiled and took a seat next to Felicity. He gently took one of her dreadlocks and compared it to his own. "Hey look at us! We match!"

"What?" Felicity wondered.

"Light and dark! Sun and shadow!" he said. "And we both have dreadlocks!"

"He is such a dork," Olivia mentioned with a smile. "Even when I caught him before he acted like a dork."

"Speaking of that," Haunt said. "Lancet, can I talk to you?"

"What is it, Haunt?" she inquired. She stood up from her seat and walked up to him, where he was standing in the center of the plane between the seats.

"Back at the Empire State Building, you ran off to catch up with Shade when I specifically told you not to," he explained. "You disobeyed a direct order. Lancet, when I say do not engage an enemy, do not engage him!"

"I wanted to catch him before he got away," Lancet debated.

"But not at the cost of your safety," Haunt jeered. "What if there had been more than just him? Or what if it hadn't been Shade you came across? If I hadn't shown up when I did, you could have been hurt or worse! Or what about when you attacked Golem's horse with your spear?! What were you hoping to accomplish with that? Or what if Shade hadn't caught you?! If something had happened to you…"

Haunt trailed off. Lancet stared up at him, her expression not of one insulted but of one curious. Kieran was the oldest of the group, but he suddenly looked ten years older. He was clearly taking his responsibility as the Team leader very seriously.

"Olivia," he finally said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I've already lost someone else under my watch. I can't lose someone else again. Not now. Okay?"

Jun, who had been watching the exchange, was about to stand up in Olivia's defense. She was only following her instincts. It was not as if she could have known that her actions would have allowed Golem to get the better of them. She couldn't be blamed for that. And Kieran had been just as careless, when he attacked Golem during the fight as well. Who was he to judge her that way? However, Jun halted in his step when he saw Olivia's eyes fall to the ground.

"…You're right," she admitted. "That was reckless. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, I'm not innocent of being reckless either," Haunt acknowledged. "I shouldn't have let Golem get to me, with that jab at my dad. Something we both need to work on, huh?"

Blue Gentleman let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding, glad that the two of them did not end up in an argument. He watched as Olivia gave a firm nod and Kieran patted her on her shoulder. For the time being at least, they had come to an agreement.

As Kieran returned to the cockpit to speak with Skyhawk, Olivia took a seat by one of the windows. She looked wistfully out at the sparkling lights of New York City for a second, but her expression turned more somber as the moments passed. Jun took a seat next to her and smiled.

"Hey, I don't care what Haunt said, I think you did great," he said, giving her a friendly poke in the shoulder.

Olivia smiled at him, but it looked a little forced. She pointed out the window again. "Look. The Statue of Liberty at night."

Jun obediently looked at the window. It was indeed a beautiful sight to see the monument in the dark, with its glowing flame and lights that came up from the bottom of the statue. He thought back to earlier in the day, when Olivia had been so excited about exploring New York, to see the sights, the museums, the parks and Broadway. They had only had enough time for the Statue of Liberty, however, and he was sure that the young Scottish woman had wanted to see more.

"Maybe we can make another trip here soon," Jun offered. "See more of the sights?"

"Yeah. It was one of the things Kegan promised me when he said I could visit this time," she described. "He said, after the festival, that he'd take me American sight-seeing. New York, some of Washington D.C., Boston…"

Olivia sighed and rubbed her arms. Jun's brow furrowed at the sight.

"My brother was supposed to be here with me when I came for the first time," she murmured.

Jun gave a quiet hum and put a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to look at him again.

"We'll find him, Olivia," he reassured her. "He's okay, and we're going to save him. Promise."

"You think so?"

"I know so," Jun continued. "I'm not saying that saving your brother and the other heroes will be easy, but anything can be accomplished if you work hard enough at it, and if there's one thing I've learned about you it's that you're determined."

The girl smiled at him, this time a true smile.

"Thanks, Jun," she said. "You're an angel."

_If only she knew,_ Zarcen thought-spoke.

_Oh, shut up, Zarcen,_ Jun thought back, blushing a little at both of their statements.

"Blue Gentleman?" Haunt called out, having returned from the cockpit. "Can I talk to you?"

Jun stood up from his seat next to Olivia and followed Kieran to the back of the plane. He couldn't help the irritation that started to rise up in his chest.

_Is he going to lecture me on what I did during the mission too?_ He wondered in his mind.

_Don't jump to conclusions, Jun,_ Zarcen cautioned him. _You don't know that for certain._

_Yeah yeah,_ he replied. He was still annoyed at the prospect.

Kieran turned around when they reached the end of the plane aisle.

"You didn't happen to read Zyon's mind, did you?" he inquired.

"What? Of course not!" Jun answered, bristling that Kieran would even consider that. "I'd never read someone's mind without permission first!"

"Fair enough," Kieran said evenly. "I'm just not sure what to make of him."

"Are you worried?" the half-Japanese boy asked. "Do you trust his story? Or do you think he actually had something to do with the attack?"

"I'm not sure. Part of me thinks it's too much of a coincidence that he found us tonight," Kieran confessed. "But coincidences can also be considered fate, depending on your perspective. I want to see if his story corroborates with what Red Robin knows before deciding."

"Yeah, good point," Jun concurred. He shuffled a little nervously. "Do you…_want_ me to read his mind?"

"Not if it makes you uncomfortable," the other responded. "I don't think it's urgent for us to know his thoughts right now. Let's keep to codenames until we know for sure though."

"You got it," said Jun. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Anything else?"

"No, that's all," Kieran concluded. This seemed to be a partial lie, however, as he called Jun back just as he was about to walk away. "Good job today on the mission."

Jun grinned, his chest puffing up with pride, and returned to the front of the _Goliath_. His satisfaction fell away when he saw that his seat next to Olivia had become occupied by Zyon, who was chatting the girl up and tickling her to make her laugh.

Kieran stood and thought for a minute, his fingers rubbing his chin and the stubble starting to grow there. It was like he had told Jun; it wasn't as though he didn't trust Zyon. He just needed to make sure that he was being honest in his account of the events at the tower. There was too much at stake to risk bringing someone who might be a danger to the Team. Part of him of course wondered if bringing him to the Sanctuary to meet Red Robin was such a good idea, but he really didn't have many other options. With both Red Robin and Superboy there, it was unlikely that Shade would try anything. He would just have to speak with Red Robin and see.

The white-haired young man sauntered up to where he had previously seen Felicity sitting. He wanted to reassure her that she had done well tonight, just as he had with Jun, especially since she had felt insecure about the whole thing before. This was not meant to be however, once he reached her.

Kieran couldn't help but smile. Felicity had fallen asleep in her seat, leaning against the window.


	8. Motives for Fighting

A/N: Remember how I said that updates will happen faster if nothing unexpected happens? Well, some unexpected stuff happened. I shan't bore readers with the details, but it mostly has to do with not having internet in my new house.

More explanations here plus a few requested interactions, but the next two chapters I have planned for a lot more action. They and this chapter were originally going to be one chapter, but I realized that would make it _way_ too long. Anyway, feedback is appreciated if readers have any!

* * *

_The Sanctuary, Bl__ü__dhaven_

_July 22, 02:09 EDT_

Superboy greeted the gang when the _Goliath_ landed at the Sanctuary hanger. Skyhawk stayed aboard to finish getting the plane down for the night (and to partly clean up the mess Shade had created with his messing with the cockpit controls). The rest exited the aircraft from the back end. Superboy's eyebrows rose at the sight of Shade.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"This is Shade," Haunt introduced. "He witnessed the fight in New York and has information about Golem and another woman, Pandora, who destroyed the Empire State Building. Shade, this is Superboy."

"Dude, who _doesn't_ know Superboy?" Shade said, sticking his hand out to the half-Kryptonian. Conner awkwardly shook it. The boy in black looked around. "You've got a nice place. Very…_secret lair_."

Superboy just stared at him for a moment before turning to look at Haunt again. "How was the mission?"

"Overall? Successful I guess."

"I thought as much," Conner voiced. "You five can get some sleep. Red Robin figured you wouldn't be back until very late, and he's still following up on some leads on the hero disappearances. He said you can give him a full report tomorrow."

"Considering how exhausted some of us are," Haunt whispered, taking in the tired form of Brightside. "That would be appreciated."

"I take it you can fix Shade up with a room?"

"Yeah, leave it to us."

"Then I'm going to help Skyhawk finish with the plane."

With that statement, Superboy nodded and sauntered into the _Goliath_. Haunt turned to his group, most of who were just barely still standing on their feet.

"Well, you heard Superboy," he said. "Let's get some rest."

"We've earned it, I think," Blue Gentleman replied.

"Follow me, Zyon," Lancet offered. "I can show you a room you can use."

"Will we be roommates, Lancet?" he inquired. He immediately slapped himself in the forehead. "Arg, sorry. That was probably too much, huh?"

"Too much…yeah," she answered quietly, blushing slightly.

Lancet, Blue Gentleman and Shade all headed towards the exit to the hanger bay. Haunt watched them, shaking his head a little sadly. He turned around to see Brightside following slowly after, stumbling a bit with each step. She looked as if she could barely keep her eyes open.

"Felicity, you look dead on your feet," Kieran noted, walking up to her and gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"I'll be okay," she muttered. Her appearance did not match her words. "I'm just not used to these weird hours."

"Yeah, long hours can take a toll on you," he confirmed. "You'll get the hang of it after a while. Until then, here."

Kieran picked the fatigued young woman up into his arms, one under her back and the other under her legs, and proceeded to carry her out of the hanger bay. Her rigid armor pressed against his chest through his thinner costume, but he could feel her heartbeat thud against his own…and it was speeding up a little.

"This is a little much, don't you think?" she asked tiredly.

"Hush, Lissy," Kieran whispered. She startled a little at the name; she didn't think he knew that Emma and her father called her that. "I'm taking you to your room so you can get some sleep, and you can't stop me."

Felicity just smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Have it your way then."

* * *

Felicity slept very well for the rest of that night and a little into the following morning. It was a pleasant enough sleep, and she certainly felt better rested when a loud knock came at her bedroom door. She glanced up at the clock on the wall – eight-thirty. It was not horribly early, but Felicity was really hoping she could sleep in a bit more. With this in mind, she took her pillow and covered her head with it.

The knocking persisted. "Hey Felicity!"

She could tell through the muffling of her pillow that it was Jun. He knocked a few more times and called out again. Felicity groaned and stood up, pulled on the bathrobe provided for her in the room, and finally opened the door. Blue Gentleman stood there, in costume and ready for battle. He smiled at her and tapped his cane gently on the ground.

"Morning Felicity!" he hailed.

"Morning Jun," she answered, much less enthusiastically. "Did you need something?"

"I need a sparring partner," Jun explained. Ah, so he wanted to train.

"…Why don't you ask Olivia?" Felicity asked. She honestly was curious. Lancet was the obvious choice (even Felicity had taken advantage of the immeasurable amount of time the Scottish girl spent training). Why was he asking her?

"Olivia's on the phone with her parents in Scotland, and with the time zone difference she wants to talk for a _long_ time," Jun replied. "Plus I heard through the grapevine that you've been trying to get better at fighting. Care for some practice?"

"…Why so early?"

"Early? Are you crazy? This is late!"

"It's eight-forty, Jun."

"Exactly! Come on! Please?"

He was giving her the exact same look he and Olivia had given Kieran when they asked to go to the Statue of Liberty. She sighed.

"Let me get my costume on."

* * *

Brightside and Blue Gentleman entered the training room. There were some basic pieces of equipment, such as weights, stationary bikes and treadmills, but there were also other things such as punching bags, practice dummies and sparring mats. The artificial lights reflected off the metal of the balance beams and dumbbells. One of the walls was another thickened sheet of glass that allowed anyone inside to look out into the ocean again, adding a more serene feel to the otherwise full and busy room. A small shark even passed by the glass, before swimming off into the dark ocean again.

"Okay, Jun," Brightside proclaimed, walking to the center of the room and turning to him. "What are you going to teach me now?"

"What has Lancet gone over with you?" Blue Gentleman questioned.

"She mostly had us work on form," she described. "Making sure I controlled my punches so that I didn't use too much energy. That way, I wouldn't hurt myself or the person attacking me too much."

"She's right, martial arts should focus on fluid momentum," Jun explained. He was happy that was the start Olivia had put Felicity through. "Regardless of your enemy, you still shouldn't hurt them too badly. Disarming your opponent? Sure. Knocking them unconscious? Sure. Killing? Absolutely not."

"She showed me some moves on some of the dummies in here," Brightside continued. "Mostly throws, but she also managed to pin me to the ground a few times without hurting me."

"Sound a little like aikido," Jun concluded. "It's a Japanese martial art that focuses on using the attacker's momentum against him. I didn't think that Olivia knew it."

"Do you know it?" Felicity inquired.

"I know Eskrima combat mostly, using these," he responded, taking his cane and separating it into two yantok sticks. He twirled them around a little before setting them aside. "How about we stick to just hand-to-hand combat for now, since you don't use any weapons?"

"Yeah, good idea," Brightside agreed. "Olivia said that I wasn't allowed to use any powers during training. Does the same go for you?"

"For now, yeah," Blue Gentleman said. "I can incorporate my powers with my physical combat, but I had to get used to using it alone first. You can't depend on your powers completely."

"No argument here," she concurred. "The last thing I need is to not be able to defend myself when my sunlight runs out."

"All right then!" he declared. He walked to the center of the sparring mat. "Tackle me. I'll block your attack and then show you how I do it. Then you can try."

* * *

"Okay, now with this one," Blue Gentleman said about an hour later. "First, I twist my ankle around my opponent's knee."

"Okay."

"Then I make a jab at the spot where the spine meets the pelvis, like this."

"Oh, yeah, ow. That hurts."

"Sorry. Now that my opponent's head is closer," he demonstrated, holding Felicity up frozen in the air before she fell. "I can hit a pressure point on the neck here."

"Feeling that…" she groaned at the jab in her neck.

"And that puts enough shock to the system – when I'm doing it right – to drop my opponent to the ground," Jun described, performed the last part of the attack and letting Felicity slowly drop onto her back on the mat. "Any questions?"

"I think I've got it," Brightside replied. She took his hand when he offered it to help her up. "Let me try."

Jun was about let the blonde attack him again when a familiar ring tone went off from his blue suit jacket that was lying next to his yantok stick, which he had taken off and set aside with his weapon while he practiced. The pair paused and looked at the jacket, and Jun used his telekinesis to float it to him. He dug through one of the jacket pockets and pulled out his cellphone as it continued to ring. He recognized the number on the display and immediately answered it.

"Good morning, Grandfather," he said in Japanese. Felicity cocked her head and furrowed her brow at his use of the language.

"Good morning, Jun," Kazuo greeted back. "I hope I'm not calling at a bad time."

"You're not. What's up?" Jun replied. "Is everything all right?"

"I just wanted to check in on you," his grandfather told him. "I have been seeing a lot of things on the news about Washington D.C. and New York, and wished to make sure you were all right."

"I'm fine," the young man informed. "Doing great actually."

"How long is this school thing going to go on?" Kazuo asked.

"A few more days. It's been extended a little longer than I thought."

_We may need to think of another alibi if this goes on for too much longer, Jun,_ Zarcen mentioned to him.

_You're right,_ Jun thought. _There's only so long a "school project" can take._

"Please let me know if you need anything else?" Kazuo offered. "I worry about you."

"I know, Grandfather, but I'm really all right," Jun consoled him. "I'm having a great time. I'm actually working on a project with a friend."

That seemed to cheer Kazuo up. "Really? A new friend? That's wonderful."

"Yeah. I actually better go," he said. "We're working on that project right now."

"Don't let me keep you then," the elder Japanese man responded. "Please take care. I love you, Jun."

"Thanks. Love you too," Jun replied. "Sayonara."

"Sayonara."

Jun lowered the phone from his ear and ended the call. He turned back to Felicity.

"Sorry about that."

"What language was that?"

"Japanese. My grandfather," Jun explained. "On my mother's side. Sorry the whole conversation wasn't English."

"It's nothing. Kind of cool to hear actually," Felicity answered. "Does he know about you being Blue Gentleman? Or about Zarcen?"

"No to both," he stated. "I wouldn't want to worry him."

"You seem very close," she observed. "I mean, I couldn't understand what you were saying, but I guess I could tell by your tone."

"My grandfather raised me. He's always been there for me," Jun said with a smile. "He even taught me Eskrima at first, before I got an official teacher when I was ten. He can get a little overprotective sometimes, but he's the best grandfather anyone could ever have."

"What about your parents?" Felicity said.

There was ice cold silence following that question. Jun looked away, watching some of the fish through the glass wall. He should have known that this subject would come up. Whenever he mentioned being raised by Kazuo, inquiries about his parents almost always followed and he never liked answering those questions. Being only three at the time of their deaths, he couldn't remember Kyle and Setsuko very well; most of what he knew came second-hand from stories that Kazuo had told him over the years. What could he really say about them?

"Well anyway, glad you have someone who supports you," the blonde broke his musing, realizing the need to change the subject.

"Do you have someone like that?" Jun asked her, relieved that she noticed when she had to drop a topic. "Your parents?"

Felicity huffed. "No way. My dad's fine, but my stepmom's a total…well, you know."

"I think I get it," he smiled.

"Neither of them knows about me being Brightside," she explained. "I'm not sure how my dad would feel about it, but I know my stepmom would _hate_ me for it. It'd be just another reason she'd used to try and get my dad to kick me out of the house."

"She really hates you that much?"

"I'd guess that your grandfather called you for an update because you've been gone for so long?" Felicity asked. Jun nodded, and she ranted on. "Let's just say that Sam'd be happy if I never went home."

The look on Jun's face showed just how much he disliked that idea. "No parent should ever want that."

"Not every parent is loving and caring," she groaned.

"Sheesh, I can't imagine," Jun responded. "Must be tough."

"Maybe…sorry for the rant. She just…makes me so mad."

"Don't worry about it. I wouldn't blame you," he comforted, giving her a grin. "You can rant all you want, if it makes you feel better."

"…I do have Emma though. She's my best friend," Felicity clarified. "She and her parents know about my powers. They support me. Emma was the one who even designed my costume."

"See? You have someone after all!" Jun declared, and a smile replaced the frown on Felicity's face.

Jun did notice the consistent use of the term "stepmom" in Felicity's story. She had not mentioned her birth mother once. He wondered what she thought. Did Felicity's blood mother support her? Or was she more like her stepmother? Jun was tempted to ask her, but then thought better about it. There was probably a reason why she hadn't mentioned her birth mother this whole time. Just like him, the circumstances surrounding her mother was something that Felicity probably didn't want to be reminded of.

"Emma's the best," Felicity continued. "She's helping me with an alibi for this trip and everything. I owe her a lot. Sometimes I feel like she and her parents are more family to me than my real one is."

"You said she designed your costume?"

"Yeah, and came up with my codename too," she added, laughing a little. "She calls herself my 'sidekick.' I sometimes think she'd be the better hero."

Jun cocked an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

"…She'd just be much better at this whole thing than I am," Brightside explicated. She shrugged. "I'm not really any good at it. I mess up a lot."

"What are you talking about?" he wondered. "You did fine at the festival and during the mission last night."

"You didn't see me at the start of the festival," she explained to him. "I was a nervous wreck."

"I saw you fighting the elementals a little," he comforted her. "Sure, maybe you're a little inexperienced, but you did fine. Plus, you saved Olivia with that shield of yours. How is that a bad thing?"

"I couldn't do a thing about Golem or that horse thing, remember?" Felicity argued. She clearly wasn't convinced. "You and Kieran took care of them, and Zyon had to catch Olivia when she fell. I was too late."

"You immediately moved to catch her," he informed. "I'm sure you would have if Zyon hadn't reached her first. You were moving fast enough. And you did at least _try_ against the metal horse. I give you credit for that."

"I guess, but—"

"Plus, you recognized when your Searing Ray wouldn't work against the horse," Jun went on. "Superman recently told me, that it's important to both know your limits and to challenge them. You recognized a limit last night, and knew when to not waste your power doing something that wouldn't help. Now you just need to work on challenging your limits, to help you grow stronger."

Felicity said nothing in response to that, and Jun blushed.

_I hope I wasn't being too pushy,_ he thought.

_I do not believe so,_ Zarcen disclosed. _Perhaps she needed to hear something like that, to keep her from falling into self-pity so much. It was the right thing to say._

The blonde girl looked out the glass window for a split second before addressing the boy in front of her again.

"Why are you a hero, Jun?" she asked. "What drives you to fight criminals as The Blue Gentleman?"

Jun didn't even pause to think.

"I mostly want to stop people from hurting others. I can't stand aside while that happens. Stealing, racism, the desire to have complete control over others…killing…all the things bad guys do…it's all wrong. If there's something I can do to stop it, I will."

There was familiar warmth in his head that spread from his temples down his neck, which Jun immediately knew was the sign that Zarcen was very proud of what he was saying.

_It would seem that my teachings have been taking root after all,_ Zarcen stated, and Jun was sure he would have smiled if he could have. _That will make the future for you easier, I hope, when you're on your own._

_Zarcen, you'll always be there to keep me in check,_ he thought back. _When would I be on my own?_

The warmth suddenly vanished, leaving Jun a little confused. What was that about?

"All the things that are morally wrong with the world," Felicity summarized. "But how can you hope to fight them all?"

"Every little bit helps, I think," he continued. "I'm a firm believer that everyone is good at heart, and can become good with the right encouragement."

"Even that Blood Zero guy that was one the news?"

Their conversation was interrupted by Red Robin's voice once again on the loudspeaker.

"Team, this is Red Robin," his voice crackled, with some minor static. "Report to the mission room."

Blue Gentleman and Brightside glanced at each other.

"To be continued?" Jun joked.

* * *

The group assembled in the mission room, where both Red Robin and Superboy were waiting. The gang were all in civilian clothing (except for Jun and Felicity, who were still in costume from their training exercises). Zyon was wearing a bright red shirt covered by a black and white checkered hoodie, black jeans and sneakers, and black fingerless gloves (Jun wondered for a second where he had gotten those clothes, as he had not brought anything with him from New York). Kieran was wearing his normal clothing, but was not wearing his normal brown wig.

Civilian clothing of course also meant that Olivia was wearing her glasses again, and Jun stiffened when she stood next to him.

_Oh crap,_ he thought.

_Just focus on Red Robin and the mission debriefing, Jun,_ Zarcen warned him. _Don't look to your right, and you will be fine._

Kieran proceeded to report the entire mission to Red Robin, with the others chiming in every so often so that the entire story was told. Zyon also added his knowledge of Golem, Pandora and the incident at the Empire State Building. At the description he gave for Pandora, Red Robin brought up a holographic screen and keyboard and typed a few search words in.

"I remember Mercury and Flash fighting someone of that description before," he announced. "Let me see if the file on her is in the system yet."

"It should be," Conner added. "It was a few weeks ago."

He typed a little more and then a screen in the center of the room popped up. Statistics and information regarding a woman named "Pandora" appeared on the screen, along with a few photographs. The woman had thin, braided blonde hair that was partly piled into a bun at the back of her head and then cascaded down her back in a tight braid. Her body was mostly covered by a deep blue mage's robe, and what could be seen underneath was a minimal amount of black top and skirt. Her form was slender, to the point of almost looking emaciated. She had loose, black bangles on each of her wrists, and a dark jeweled band was tight across her forehead. The most prominent thing about her, however, was her glowing red eyes.

She looked incredibly…odd, to say the least. Disturbing. Unnatural.

"That's her!" Zyon proclaimed. "She's the one who put those symbols on the Empire State Building that messed up my powers!"

"Based on the report from Mercury and Flash, she's definitely a magic user of some kind," the cloaked hero reported. "She was capable of all sorts of magic, and seemed to specialize in the kind involving death and darkness."

"That might be why you had a power surge when she wrote the runes," Olivia deduced. "You acted as a sort of conduit for her dark magic, and it emphasized your own shadow powers."

"What did her spell do to Golem then?" Felicity asked. "He wasn't happy at all about those symbols."

"He kept wondering how he could reverse the effects in my Psychic Impression," Kieran repeated. "So the spell obviously did something."

"She kept absorbing his fire during the fight," said Zyon. "Maybe it's related to that?"

Red Robin brought up the photographs the Team had taken during the mission, showing the runes inscribed on the wall.

"I am not familiar with these runes," he said.

"I thought they might be Anglo-Saxon," Olivia added. "But I wasn't certain."

"Fortunately, we know someone who is an expert in magic and probably knows what these runes mean," Conner said.

"Zatanna," Red Robin nodded. "She's on a mission in Bialya right now. We'll have to wait until she gets back."

"One of the leads about the disappearing heroes?" Jun asked.

"That's right."

"What about The Collector?" Kieran questioned, a little impatiently. "Have you got any leads about _him_?"

Red Robin rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Nothing yet, and we have no leads on how he is connected to Golem and Blood Zero either," he admitted. Kieran's face contorted into one of rage. He was about to argue the point further when Red Robin held up a hand. "I know you're frustrated, but we're doing the best we can. You _know_ how hard it is to track The Collector. If it was easy, we would have brought him to justice the first time around."

Kieran took a deep breath, his face becoming more desperate than angry. "And_ you know_ what he's probably doing to Fade right now."

With a solemn nod, Red Robin put a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I know. I'm not giving up on this, Kieran. Not even close."

The white-haired young man looked down, back up and Red Robin's masked face again, and then turned and left the mission room. The others watched after him, all with worried expression. Red Robin cleared his throat.

"As always, I will let you all know if anything leads anywhere," he informed them. "Until then, you're all dismissed."

Red Robin and Superboy headed off to the far side of the room, still discussing something. Olivia stared at the door that Kieran and exited through. Her face hardened a little and she stalked after him. She followed his footsteps to the lounge, where she found him sitting on the couch and mindlessly flipping through channels on the television. Olivia vaguely heard the sound of the others following her, and she stopped in the doorway to block their path. She made a motion with her hand indicating a request for them to wait before walking into the room and sitting next to Haunt on the couch.

Kieran looked at her out of the corner of his eye, but did not turn his face from the screen. "Hey Olivia."

"Hey Kieran," she replied. There was a bit of an awkward pause before she spoke again. "I wish there was something more we could do."

"Thanks, but we're just stuck playing the waiting game," he moaned.

Olivia didn't say anything. She couldn't really refute that point. There was, however, something else on her mind.

"You know," she whispered. "This does put something into perspective."

"What?" He still wasn't looking at her.

"What is means to be an older brother," Olivia explained. "When I was ten, I was kidnapped by a drug gang back in Edinburgh, my hometown in Scotland. My brother had been on a stakeout for this gang, and I tagged along. I had been training with Kegan for a few months, and this was the first time he took me out in costume."

This time Kieran reacted. He turned the television off and set the remote down, giving her him full attention. This was obviously important.

"We got most of the drug dealers arrested, but some of the ones that we didn't know were left behind got the jump on me," she described, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I remember how scared I was. Like I said, I had only been training for a few months. Kegan never told me how dangerous what he did was, and it was only then that I understood why."

Felicity listened intently. She thought it was a little frightening being a hero at sixteen. How did that sort of experience feel to a ten-year-old? To her, Olivia suddenly seemed far more courageous than before, even though she admitted to being scared at the time.

"It was three days until my brother found me and rescued me," Olivia went on. "He later told me that it was the longest three days of his life."

"Time does seem to go by slower," Kieran agreed. "When someone you care about is missing."

"I can't imagine what you're thinking right now, since it's been a lot longer than that since Malcolm was kidnapped," she admitted. "I guess my point is, he told me about how worried he was about when while I was kidnapped but I didn't _see_ him being worried. Seeing you as concerned as you are about Malcolm…It makes me think about how he must have been back then. I'm seeing things from his perspective now."

"Especially when he's the one kidnapped this time, huh?" the older hero illuminated.

"Exactly," Olivia voiced. "It just makes me more determined to find him, and we'll find Malcolm too."

"It's just so frustrating, not knowing what to do or where to look," Kieran disclosed. He then turned to the door. "You can all come in, you know. I know you're there."

Jun, Zyon and Felicity all finally walked into the lounge, a little embarrassed that they had been caught eavesdropping.

"Don't blame you for being frustrated," Zyon stated. "I want to know what's going on with Pandora as much as you want to know what's going on with this Collector guy."

"Red Robin mentioned that The Collector is hard to track," Felicity recalled. "Is that because of his floating fortress thing?"

"Mostly yeah," Kieran responded. "He also keeps the darn thing moving, so it's never in the same place at the same time. My dad managed to catch up with him once, back when I was much younger, but he got away with his fortress before we could capture him or help anyone else inside."

"And stop him from torturing young children, right?" Jun finished. Kieran just nodded. "You know, it's one thing to torture and kill anyone, but to do that kind of thing to _children_?!"

"Combine that with Pandora, Golem, Blood Zero and whoever their employer is…" Felicity adjoined. "We're dealing with some pretty powerful people, not to mention insane."

"I've got a feeling that there's some connection between all of these villains," Olivia concluded. "Something that has brought them together to capture the heroes, both young and adult."

"The question is what?" Jun argued. "Trust me, there's absolutely no reason Blood Zero would be working with people like that. There's got to be something we're missing. Something big."

"I'd take any kind of lead at this point," Kieran admitted.

Zyon stood and smiled, rather smugly. "You know, I might be able to do something about that."

* * *

"Have you heard from Luthor lately?"

"Not recently."

"What did he want from you again?"

"To offer his help mostly," Conner explained. He cocked his head backwards for a moment, but returned to Tim again a moment later. "He knows about the disappearances. Big surprise. He offered his services in finding them, saying he had someone on the inside who could help."

"Luthor would be willing to expose a spy to us to help us find the missing heroes?" Tim wondered, quite doubtful. "What would he hope to gain from that?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," admitted Conner. "I doubt it has to do with the 'want-to-get-to-know-his-son' excuse he keeps giving me. Even in his seventies, Lex Luthor still works The Light's work from behind the scenes."

"The last time he contacted you was a few weeks ago, right?" Tim asked.

"Right before Queen Bee was assassinated, actually," the half-Kryptonian answered. "He sounded more desperate than usual, come to think of it."

"Luthor? Desperate?" Tim quipped.

"He's been like that since the assassination," Conner repeated. "Speaking of which, has Zatanna and her team found out anything?"

"No. There's no sign of Black Canary, Huntress or Fire," he answered. "Zatanna's team did find evidence of a struggle at Queen Bee's palace, but no signs of the squad itself. The last Batman heard from them was when they gave the autopsy report."

"So, not only do we have no idea what happened to our first investigation team," Superboy summarized. "But we still do not know who was behind Queen Bee's assassination in the first place either."

"I'd bet that our mystery kidnapper is behind the disappearance of Black Canary, Huntress and Fire," Tim declared. "That much is obvious."

"No argument here."

"As for Queen Bee, we still have no idea who assassinated her," the cloaked hero replied. "The autopsy indicated that she died from severe cerebral hypoxia, but there was no evidence to point to a specific cause. Zatanna said it was as if the oxygen just disappeared from her system."

"Could she identify any spells that could cause that?"

"Not that she knew off the top of her head, but she said she would research them when she got back."

"In any case, so much for Queen Bee," Conner proclaimed. "Anything else weird happening that involves The Light?"

"Not really," Red Robin answered. "Vandal Savage and Klarion still haven't been seen or heard from since the destruction of the Warworld's crystal key three years ago. The Brain is still in custody, and Black Manta as you know is dead. Ra's al Ghul is still at large, but I haven't heard of him doing anything for the past eight months."

"_That_ alone could be pretty suspicious."

"You're right, but at this point I really don't know."

"So besides Luthor, all of The Light is either at large and missing or dead?"

"Pretty much."

"…Do you think Luthor might have actually known something about the kidnappings?" Superboy wondered.

"Hmm, I can only speculate," Red Robin admitted. "His businesses are doing well?"

"Yeah, LexCorp is doing just as well as it ever has," Conner reported. He gave another nod of his head. "Profits are great, customer satisfaction is at an all-time high, and its stocks are very sought after. Whatever Luthor's doing behind the scenes, it isn't hurting his businesses. I'm still surprised he's even been willing to share all this with me."

"Yet there's been a greater turnover of employees in the last six weeks than in the past six years," Tim included. "Some employees claim they would show up for work for one day and then be dismissed the next."

"I have a theory."

"Tell me."

"Luthor is working on something important and secret. Maybe a new line of robotics, or a new type of weapon," Superboy offered, that last part said rather viciously. "He's trying to get new people to work on it, but won't keep them around long enough to figure out any details."

"A good theory," Tim agreed. "If that's the case, the question is of course, what is he working on?"

"You know the best way to find that out," Conner said with a grin.

"Send in the Team?" Tim voiced. "Only Kieran's old enough to possibly pass as someone who could work for Luthor, and I wouldn't want to compromise their secret identities like that anyway."

"No, you idiot," Superboy argued. "Have them sneak in, get some information from the inside, hack some databases…you know, old-school style. Tonight's another one of Luthor's board meetings. It would be the perfect time to eavesdrop."

"This team's last 'covert mission' didn't work out very well," Red Robin answered. "Not their fault, but I'd like to train them a little more before trying something like that again."

"Missions go wrong all the time," Conner proclaimed. "When Dick, Wally and Kaldur snuck into Cadmus nearly twenty-five years ago, they weren't covert in the end. But if they hadn't done that, they would've never found me and helped me escape."

Tim chuckled. "Yeah, Dick told me about that."

"Sure, the New Team messed up last night," the half-Kryptonian continued. "But they've learned from it, and will do better next time."

"…You're right," Red Robin acquiesced. "But I'm still not sure. Let me think about it some more."

"You do that," Superboy replied.

Conner watched his friend exit the room. He could understand Tim's reservations. Sending the group into LexCorp on their own was asking a lot of them, but he could see the potential in them. Tim could as well. Otherwise he would not have even asked them to join the Team in the first place.

He cocked his head once last time, his superhearing picking upon something. Conner chose to ignore it, and followed his companion out of the room. He did not look up to see Shade hanging halfway out of one of his shadows near the ceiling, a communicator in his hand.

* * *

_Metropolis Airspace_

_July 22, 22:30 EDT_

"So what's the plan, leader?" Zyon teased, practically bouncing in his seat aboard the _Goliath_.

Following Zyon's spying on the meeting between Red Robin and Superboy, the group had decided to investigate Luthor's machinations themselves. Skyhawk was once again at the pilot's seat of the plane, flying the Team in Metropolis airspace on their way to the main LexCorp facility. Thanks to Jun's knowledge of the Metropolis layout (as it was his hometown of course) they were able to locate the building in no time at all.

"The plan, Zyon, is that we will split up into three teams," Kieran explained. "Skyhawk will be on standby to drop us off, pick us up and for aerial support should we need it. Jun, you and I will try and find that board meeting and listen in. I have a recording device here so we can relay to Red Robin exactly what is discussed there."

As he said this, Haunt held up a small recorder, about the size of his palm, attached to his wrist like a watch. He then picked up a flash drive and tossed it to Lancet, who caught it deftly in the hand not holding her spear.

"Lancet, you and Shade will head for the LexCorp main computer, and download as much information as you can regarding this new secret Luthor is working on," he continued. "Jun will have the mind-link established the whole time, so if something comes up during the board meeting that might be important, we'll let you know so you can hack it."

"I hope my hacking skills are enough to get into the LexCorp database," Lancet said.

"Oh yeah!" Shade declared. "Paired with the cutie!"

Kieran ignored his delight and turned to Felicity.

"Brightside, you'll be stationed outside," he told her. "You're our lookout for anything unusual outside the building."

"I'm on lookout duty again?" Felicity repeated, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.

"And our plan B if something goes wrong," Haunt comforted her. Felicity gave him a confused look. "You're easily the strongest of us as far as sheer power goes, Lissy, perfect for a breakout. If one of us gets caught, I want you to cause some commotion that will distract the enemy enough to let us make an escape."

"…I guess I can't really argue with that logic," she conceded with a smile.

"Plus, you're probably the least stealthy of all of us," Lancet added. "Er, I mean that in the nicest possible way."

"Yeah, having light powers during a night mission doesn't really help," Brightside agreed, her tone showing that she took no offence.

"Speaking of stealth, I managed to swipe these too," Kieran resumed. He pulled out three small, black collars and handed one to each of his teammates. He kept a fourth for himself and snapped it around his neck. "Temporary stealth tech. Push the button on the front to activate it."

Blue Gentleman pushed the button on his own collar. His costume didn't change very much – his red button-up shirt turned a deeper crimson color, and the blue on his suit jacket and slacks turned closer to a dark navy to almost black blue. Lancet's golden armor turned black and her yellow combat boots, utility belt and shoulder strap became deep purple to match her normal dark purple top and trousers. Haunt's white and pale green outfit turned to the deepest shade of forest green, and his cloak changed to black. Of course Brightside's change was the most striking, and Jun watched as her orange and yellow ensemble darkened to deep reds and purples, which reminded him of the sun setting at dusk. Shade obviously did not receive a collar, as his black costume required no stealth tech.

"Approaching LexCorp, Haunt," Skyhawk reported over the plane intercom.

"Thanks Skyhawk," Haunt replied. "Oh, one more thing."

Haunt dug into his pockets one more time, pulling out five pairs of strong earplugs. The others stared at him, but he held them out anyway.

"I figured I might need to use my Panic Wail for this mission, so I grabbed these," he described. They still stared at him in bewilderment, and he explained further. "It's a high-pitched scream that can cause panic attacks and paralysis to everyone in hearing range. I don't want you guys to be affected by it if I have to use it."

"Wait, is that what you used when you were swallowed by that water elemental way back during the festival?" Olivia asked him.

"Yeah, same thing," Kieran responded. "My wail usually doesn't cause any damage to the surrounding environment, but sound waves in water caused the elemental to vibrate and…well, explode."

"Panic attacks?" Blue Gentleman repeated. "Have you ever done any major damage with it?"

"Nothing horrible like a heart attack or anything," the white-haired boy said. "But I have made windows and glasses shatter."

"_Could_ you give someone a heart attack with it?" Jun inquired, suddenly a little weary of this newly revealed power.

"Um, I guess so," Kieran admitted. "I've never tried. I don't really plan to either."

"Hovering just south of LexCorp now," Skyhawk reiterated. "The _Goliath_ is in stealth mode, and ready to give aerial support. Just call when you need it."

Haunt took a deep breath. "Everyone ready? Okay, let's go."


	9. Into the Belly of the Whale

A/N: LexCorp mission ahoy! Also, we now start to officially _meet_ more of the villains, most of which were also submitted to me and are not my own creation. I hope I'm representing them right. The fun thing is that a lot (but not all) of the scenes in this chapter I had in my head for a long time, about since I decided on the main members of the New Team actually. We'll see how this all holds up from the readers' perspectives.

Another little warning: there is a bit of, um, well, _unpleasantness_ in this chapter. I personally don't think it's too extreme, but for those with sensitive stomachs, be warned.

As usual, new characters require new disclaimers: Chollima belongs to HaVoKer. Pandora belongs to SeijinSan, Blood Zero belongs to KingOfStories01, Solar belongs to shielddrake42…have I forgotten anyone so far? I need to make a list of whom I've introduced and who I've given a proper disclaimer for…

* * *

_LexCorp, Metropolis_

_July 22, 22:42 EDT_

When teleporting between shadows, Shade had to have a general idea of a shadow that he wanted to transport to. It was nice that Shade didn't necessarily have to know exactly where the shadow he was trying teleport to was. It certainly helped if he had a particular shadow in mind, but it didn't mean that he couldn't extrapolate where a shadow he could teleport to _might_ be.

This late in the evening, for instance, it made logical sense that a janitor's closet would have many shadows present and would likely be uninhabited by anyone working there. So when Shade suggested that he teleport them to a closet on the eighty-fourth floor, Lancet didn't see any reason to reject the offer. The two of them landed in the empty storeroom, surprisingly large enough to fit at least five people comfortably, filled with cleaning supplies and smelling of Pinesol. Shade's left foot landed in a dirty mop bucket, splashing the water a little. Shade cringed a little at the noise, but took a deep breath when nothing happened.

"**Sorry,"** he said to Lancet through the mind-link.

"**No worries. Nothing happened,"** Lancet replied. She noticed that he was little a little winded. **"Are you okay?"**

"**Teleporting with someone else takes a lot of energy,"** Shade explained. **"I think that boost of power I got from Pandora is wearing off."**

"**You **_**have **_**been teleporting a lot in the last two days,"** the girl mentioned. **"Me in particular."**

"**Ah, I've no problem with porting cute girls,"** he replied, giving her an amused smirk.

Lancet blushed and looked away. He really had no subtlety, did he?

"**Shade, we're on a mission,"** Lancet reminded him. **"I really need you to focus right now."**

"**Focus. Focus. Right,"** he answered, still smirking. **"I can focus. Focusing. No problem."**

"**Haunt, you're sure that the main computer is on the eighty-fourth floor?"** Lancet inquired of her leader, thankful again for long-distance mind-links.

"**That's where it was a few years ago when my father was on mission here,"** Haunt answered. **"Unless Luthor changed that after that, but as far as I know it's still there."**

"**All right. Shade and I are heading there now,"** she thought-spoke. **"Shade? Let's move."**

Lancet slowly opened the closet door, glancing out for a moment and then opening it when she saw that the coast was clear. There were no security cameras in the hallway, although she noticed that there were bolted hangers on the ceiling near the hallway corners where Lancet would suspect security cameras would be placed. The lights were on, and the doorways that led into other rooms also had light shining in from the bottom cracks of the doors. There was not a single person around, which Olivia instantly found odd. Surely there would be better security around here?

"**Haunt said it was this way,"** Shade informed her, walking past her quietly and to a slightly more secure metal door. He paused in front of it and looked at Lancet. **"I could teleport inside, but I don't know if there are any shadows inside."**

"**What are the chances that any security or computer people are inside at this hour?"** she wondered.

"**Probably not very good,"** he concluded. **"It's too late for a lot of people to be working and security's probably watching over the room I bet, but that's it."**

"**You're sure?"** Lancet asked him. **"I'd hate to blow our cover this early in the mission."**

"**We could always climb through the vents,"** Shade joked.

"**Like BG and Haunt are probably doing right now?"** Olivia answered with a raised eyebrow. **"I'll pass."**

* * *

It was common knowledge to heroes who worked in Metropolis that Lex Luthor always held his board meetings on the ninety-first floor (the ninety-fourth floor, the top floor, was reserved for his private office). Only very important personnel were allowed up there, and that consisted of the LexCorp board members and Lex Luthor himself. If there was any meeting happening that night, it was going to be there.

Blue Gentleman levitated Haunt up to the ninety-first floor, opening up a window and sneaking inside. It led to a small office that likely belonged to one of the oldest of the board members, if the old man in the family photograph on the desk was any indication. The lights were off, and the pair left them as such as they proceeded out of the office. The door led to a small hallway with three similar doors and large, well-decorated double doors in the center. Haunt immediately realized that the doors must lead to the meeting chambers.

Of course it would have been a horrible idea to enter those doors. This was a covert operation, and they obviously had to find a way to eavesdrop on any conversations occurring inside without being seen.

Blue Gentleman easily found the opening to an air duct near the ceiling. Haunt was able to leap into it after Jun telekinetically removed the metal grid covering. They climbed through the duct for a few feet until they came to an opening leading downwards. They could see into what must have been the conference room. It was in the right location based on the turns they had to take inside the vent, and the appearance of the room was obviously meant as a meeting room. There were ten chairs placed around a long, wooden, furnished table of some rather expensive oak. There was some artwork that was probably commissioned by Luthor, though Haunt couldn't recognize the artist at all.

It was the people inside that created the shock.

There was Luthor himself of course, and he was the only one sitting in one of the chairs. Even in his seventies he either had the genetics to still appear younger than he truly was, or he was able to afford procedures that made him appear younger (Haunt seriously doubted that Luthor would do the latter). His bald head had gained a small amount of wrinkles over the years, and although his eyes did appear tired they still had a wayward look to them. There was a fancy black cane next to his chair to indicate his age again, and he still wore one of his typical business suits. Haunt had seen Luthor on the news and in school presentations many times, so he was not surprised by his appearance at all.

The others in the room could not possibly be members of Luthor's board. The Collector was there standing in the center of the room with his arms crossed. Golem stood next to him and looked particularly angry. A woman fitting the description and pictures of Pandora was also there, standing across from Golem. She looked incredibly amused by something as Golem glared at her. Blue Gentleman tapped Haunt on the shoulder and pointed to the other side of the room where Blood Zero also had his arms crossed over his chest. He looked less angry but also a little more bored.

Next to Luthor was a young woman who looked to be no older than eighteen. She wore a white taekwondo arts outfit that ended just above her knees. Her feet were bare. Her black hair was left long and wavy, held out of her face only by a white headband that spread across her forehead. It appeared that she was in charge of watching over Luthor, as she stood next to his chair with a single hand on his shoulder. Haunt found it a little odd that she was smiling in this scene, with how serious everyone else was looking.

"**Haunt, we're in position,"** Lancet reported. **"Are you guys okay?"**

"**We're in position as well,"** Haunt told her, activating the watch recorder on his wrist. **"Did you guys have any problems finding the computer room?"**

"**We found it," **Shade responded. **"There were two guards, but Lancet and I took care of them!"**

"**Brightside?"** Haunt asked. **"Are you ready?"**

"**Ready and waiting,"** Brightside answered from her hiding spot, which Kieran was sure was simply the roof of another building outside. She didn't sound nearly as enthusiastic.

"How much longer must I wait?" Luthor asked, sounding bored.

"Avatar is on his way, Luthor," Pandora informed him, ignoring the glare Golem was giving her. "He of course would have been here sooner if your people had been able to hack the files properly."

"Why would I allow my own employees to decode my personal files?" Luthor inquired.

"**Luthor's here. Pandora mentioned something about trying to hack his files,"** Haunt explained. **"Lancet, see if you can find them and copy them."**

"**Got my flash drive ready and working on getting the files open now,"** Lancet replied.

"Because then I wouldn't have to resort to holding your life in my hands, literally," Pandora explained. "And you wouldn't have to allow us access to all of your corporations and resources without putting your life on the line."

Pandora pulled out a small doll, made of cloth and stitched together with thick twine. The smell of some kind of herbs that Kieran did not recognize wafted through the air. The doll had some sort small suit on, just like the ones Luthor was often seen wearing. The doll did not have any fake hair on it, and the eyes were simple black beads that gave a somewhat eerie appearance. The arms did not have any hands, but there were some strange points that were tied right to the ends of the blunt arms.

"**What the heck is that?"** Blue Gentleman wondered.

"**Voodoo doll would be my guess,"** Haunt answered.

As if to prove his theory, Pandora started chanting some kind of spell. Dark purple gas began to emit from her fingers and swirl around the doll. The same dark energy began to surround the real Luthor. His body started to seize up, his breathing became ragged and he grabbed the armrests of his chair, his knuckles turning white from his tight grip. Pandora let this go on for a few moments before stopping her chanting, and the spell ended. Luthor gasped to catch his breath and furrowed his brows in a glare at her.

"I would still like to know how you managed to obtain some of my fingernail clippings," Luthor demanded.

"**Fingernail clippings?"** Blue Gentleman echoed, his nose crinkling.

"**Yeah, pretty gross,"** Haunt agreed.

"I would have used a lock of your hair, if you had any for me to borrow," she replied, ignoring his question.

"Steal, you mean." Again, Pandora ignored him.

"**Lancet, see if any of the files say anything about Voodoo and Voodoo dolls,"** Haunt ordered.

"**Voodoo? Seriously?"** she replied skeptically. **"All right."**

"Avatar _did_ say he would be here by now, didn't he Chollima?" The Collector inquired.

He was apparently addressing the young woman next to Luthor, because she was the one who answered.

"He had some business with his father to work out," she said. "He will be here once he is done with that."

The Collector walked up to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, her expression turning blank while his was curious.

"Are you worried about him?" he asked. Chollima's face betrayed nothing. "You don't have to."

"He will be here," the black-haired woman declared.

"He better be," Blood Zero stated. "I could be out taking care of society's trash tonight."

"You'll be where Avatar commands you to be," The Collector commanded, turning his attention away from Chollima to the man in red armor. "And you know why."

Blood Zero rushed from his side of the room and grabbed The Collector by the front of his armor.

"If you have done anything to harm her…" he threatened, his voice barely above a whisper that Haunt could even hear.

"Relax, Blood," The Collector ordered. He pried Blood Zero's hands off of him and smoothed his brown hair back. "Your daughter is safe. She's in a special room in my fortress, fit for a princess. My children don't even know she's there."

"**Blood Zero has a daughter?!"** Jun declared.

_That means that The Collector somehow knows his secret identity,_ Zarcen deduced. _I wonder how he found out._

_And more importantly,_ Jun added to Zarcen alone. _Who is he exactly?_

"**Lancet, have you come across any files related to Blood Zero or his daughter?"** Kieran asked.

"**I haven't seen anything yet,"** Olivia told him. **"You didn't know he had a daughter, BG?"**

"**No,"** Blue Gentleman replied. He inwardly smiled a little at her new nickname for him. **"But if The Collector and this Avatar guy are using her to blackmail Blood Zero, that would explain why he's working with them."**

"**Just like with Luthor," **Haunt concluded. **"I get why they'd want his cooperation. Luthor's got resources and influence up the wazoo. What does Blood Zero have that they could want?"**

* * *

Shade watched Lancet as her fingers furiously swiped across the keyboard. He was pretty impressed with her computer skills actually; Olivia initially claimed that her hacking abilities weren't very good, but she seemed to be able to break into Luthor's system with only some difficultly.

In fact, Lancet had claimed it was almost too easy…relatively speaking.

Zyon glanced behind him at the two security guards who had been in the computer rooms when they had entered. With his shadow powers and Lancet's spear, they had been knocked unconscious quickly and were currently tied up, gagged and set against the wall on the far side of the room. It was no sooner afterwards that Lancet got onto a computer and was receiving mental orders from Haunt to find information based on what he and Blue Gentleman were hearing at the meeting. Everything was going according to plan so far.

He had to admit, some of the things they were discussing were very strange. Voodoo? Voodoo dolls? Blackmail? Threats? Well…maybe not _strange_, per se, but certainly disconcerting. Then again, these we _bad guys_ after all. They just acted this way most of the time. The Voodoo stuff was interesting, although it worried Zyon. If Pandora had that kind of power, plus what she did at the Empire State Building, what else could she do?

"**Whoa, this is interesting,"** Lancet interrupted his mental ramblings.

"**What is it?"** Haunt asked from a distance.

"**Luthor's got the design of some kind of device in here," **she informed. **"It looks like some sort of converter, but the design's incomplete."**

"**A converter for what?"** Shade wondered.

"**Not sure. The file's heavily encrypted,"** Olivia admitted. **"It would take me hours to figure it out."**

"**See if you can copy it at least," **their leader said. **"We'll take it with us. Red Robin can probably decode it."**

"**If they're trying to build some kind of device,"** Blue Gentleman thought. ** "Maybe they're trying to get Blood Zero to work on it."**

"**Is he good with technology?" **Shade inquired.

"**Pretty good. He made that armored suit he's wearing,"** he explained. **"So, it would make sense that he could work on another device for them, whatever it is."**

"**The Collector has his daughter,"** Kieran stated. **"That's enough motivation to make him cooperate with them."**

"**He isn't happy about it though,"** Jun thought-spoke.

"**Great,"** Kieran sighed. **"They're arguing again."**

Lancet continued to type, her hands swiftly moving across the board to the point where Shade had trouble keeping track of what she was pressing.

Shade looked behind them, making sure that no one else happened to enter the room. Just like the hallway, there were no security cameras in the room. The two guards were still unconscious, and besides a few computers there wasn't any light in the room. No one else was there, yet he couldn't help but keep looking around. It was his job to watch Lancet's back while she did the computer hacking, and he wasn't going to be remiss in this duty.

He didn't notice the lithe form of another person hiding near the ceiling.

* * *

"I'm telling you for the last time," Golem demanded of Pandora. "Telling, not asking. Take those damn runes in New York down!"

"The spell should have worn off by now," Pandora said with false patience. "Regardless of whether or not I leave the runes there. You should be able to make shadow golems again…for all the good it does you."

"But I can't! And my other golems aren't nearly as strong as they used to be!" he complained. "Reverse it now!"

Pandora looked a little surprised by this. "I released the magic from those runes days ago. You should be back to normal."

"What does it mean?" Chollima asked. "Why would it last longer?"

"The only reason the magic transfer would still be in effect would be if someone else absorbed Golem's power as well as me," the mage explained. "And that person hasn't released the magic yet."

"Was anyone else there when you placed the runes?" The Collector asked.

"Not that I'm aware of," Pandora answered. She looked at Golem, who lifted his hands up and surrender.

"Don't look at me!" he yelled. "I don't know anyone!"

"There must have been another mage or someone there that we don't know about," Pandora concluded.

"Can't you just cast a counter spell or something?" Golem demanded.

Pandora smirked at him. "I could, but I have no desire to."

Golem looked like he was about to argue further when the double doors slid open with a swish of moving metal, and a man entered.

"If you had agreed to join our cause from the start, Golem," he proclaimed. "I wouldn't have had to send Pandora after you."

The man was perhaps in his late twenties. He wore an entirely brown ensemble, with a long trench coat, jeans and gloves. Around his neck was a light brown scarf that covered most of his neck and reaching his chin. His hair was short and brown, slightly wavy and passing just below his ears. At his waist was a belt that carried two holsters with a pair of pistols. His eyes could not be seen under the deep brown domino mask on his face.

This person must have been Avatar, who the others were waiting to meet with. He stood at the end of the table opposite of Luthor. Luthor looked like he wanted to jump up from his seat, but his age and Chollima's hand on his shoulder stopped him from moving. Avatar looked at each member of his group individually.

"All of you, stop arguing this instant," Avatar commanded. "We are here to discuss the device and the Nexus Crystal."

"_**Now**_** we're getting somewhere!"** Haunt declared.

"Do we know where the shards of the Nexus might be?" The Collector asked.

"I have located a few, but the legends are rather cryptic," Avatar explained. "We will work on that tonight. Until then, Blood Zero, you will finish working on the transmitter."

"It will take me time to finish it," Blood Zero protested.

"**Well that proves that theory,"** Blue Gentleman thought.

"You will finish it quickly," The Collector ordered in Avatar's place. "The life of your daughter depends on it."

"I would think that you would know better than to threaten a child," Blood Zero sneered. "Don't think I can't go after 'your children' as well."

"Both of you cease your arguing this moment," Chollima demanded, strangely calm.

"Yes, we have more important things to discuss," Avatar agreed. Both Blood Zero and Golem looked like they wanted to argue further, but kept their mouths shut. "Once the locations of the shards have been deciphered, we will dispatch troops to each location and acquire the shards, by force if necessary."

"**Lancet, see if you can find any information about something called the Nexus Crystal,"** Haunt requested.

"**On it,"** she thought back.

"Once we have the crystal together again, we can complete the transmitter," Avatar continued. He returned his gaze to Luthor. "Your people will assist Blood Zero in making the transmitter, and you will provide us with soldiers for when we need to dispatch."

"Do you honestly think you will be able to keep your plans secret?" Luthor asked him. "Remember that my resources have been closely monitored over the past fifteen years since my resignation as UN Secretary General."

"You didn't resign," The Collector corrected him. "You were ousted."

"And regardless, you still have enough influence to help keep our mission undercover," Pandora continued. "As well as enough motivation."

"Your group may have failed at your goals," Avatar proclaimed. "But my group, my New Light, will be far more successful than you were, and certainly more so than The Reach was."

"If you insist," Luthor said with a smirk.

"**I've got a feeling that Luthor knows more than they do,"** Blue Gentleman realized. **"And probably more than we do actually."**

_I agree,_ Zarcen stated. _He is being oddly cooperative and agreeable, considering they are threatening his life._

"**You've got a point," **Haunt concurred. **"I wonder what this transmitter is supposed to do, and what this Nexus Crystal is. Find anything Lancet?"**

"**A few things," **She answered. **"I've copied most of it onto my flash drive, and – ah!"**

"**Lancet?!" **Blue Gentleman called out.

"**Lancet!" **Haunt echoed him. **"Are you still there?!"**

"**What is it?!"** Brightside demanded. **"What happened?!"**

"**We're under attack!"** Lancet reported. **"Someone snuck up on us! Shade's out!"**

"**Hang on!"** Brightside said. **"I'm coming!"**

Below in the meeting room, a communicator on Avatar's belt went off. It buzzed until he picked it up and held it to his ear.

"Report," he said serenely.

"Avatar, you have intruders," a woman with a wispy voice said. "Two children in the computer room. I've knocked one unconscious. Will subdue the other and bring both to you shortly."

"Understood," Avatar replied. "Sending Blood Zero and Chollima to meet you."

With that statement, Chollima left her post by Luthor and headed for the door, Blood Zero right behind her. As they exited the room, Haunt and Blue Gentleman began to scramble backwards out of the vent.

"**Lancet, get out now!" **Haunt commanded her.** "Grab Shade! We'll get there as soon as we can!"**

"**I can – ah!"** she yelped in her mind. From that, the sound of someone screaming from a few stories below could be heard.

"**Lancet!"** Blue Gentleman called out, hoping she would respond again. She didn't.

"**We have to get back to them,"** Kieran said.

By this point, they had reached the opening into the vents where they had entered. They jumped down from the opening and started to rush down the hallway to the nearest window (probably the most direct way to get down to the eighty-fourth floor without being seen).

However, luck was not on their side at that moment.

"I thought I heard something in the walls!" Golem declared. He rushed towards Haunt and tackled him. "I can get you for New York now!"

Haunt met the tackle with no hesitation. They held each other in place with their hands for a few seconds until Haunt pushed him away with a strong kick. He attacked again with a flurry of punches and kicks, easily holding his own against his previous foe.

"**Go, Blue Gentleman!"** Haunt yelled to him, sending Golem back with another punch when the armored blonde back again. **"Get to Lancet and Shade!"**

"**What about you?"** Blue Gentleman asked, ready to use his telekinesis at a moment's notice.

"**You can fly. You can reach them faster than I can," **he explained. **"Earplugs in! I'll hold him off and meet you outside."**

_Do as he says, Jun!_ Zarcen insisted. _You have to hurry!_

Jun did not hesitate a moment longer. After stuffing the earplugs Haunt had provided him with earlier, he flew over the battling pair and headed for the window they had entered the building from. He levitated as quickly as he could, concentration becoming a problem as he tried to both fly and keep the mind-link open simultaneously.

"**Lancet! Are you still there?"** he hollered mentally. **"Can you hear me?"**

He did not receive an answer and suddenly his stomach dropped.

All of a sudden, a high-pitched, piercing scream emitted through the air. Jun paused. He almost felt as if he couldn't move, but not quite to the point where he was paralyzed. It was a very unpleasant sound, like something he would expect to hear at a graveyard…or in a haunted house. The source of the scream instantly came to Jun. It was Haunt. This was his Panic Wail he had mentioned before – he power that caused fear and temporary paralysis to all those who heard it. Jun was suddenly very glad that Kieran had made them all wear earplugs. He had been shocked by the wail even _with_ the earplugs. Without them…

The wail passed as quickly as it came, and Blue Gentleman continued his way to the window. There was a flash of light that looked like some kind of lightning bolt (which was odd, considering he was inside and there were no signs of a storm in the sky). Once the flash was gone, he found his path blocked by The Collector.

_Damn,_ he cursed. _Where did he come from? Can he teleport or something?_

"Going somewhere?" The Collector taunted. His voice was a little muffled due to the plugs in Jun's ears.

Blue Gentleman scowled at him. "I don't have time to mess with you. Let me pass!"

In response, The Collector merely cocked his head in amusement and took a battle-ready stance. Jun's glare intensified.

_I've got to get to the others!_ He thought. _Damn it, where're Haunt and Brightside?_

_Knock him unconscious, Jun,_ Zarcen advised. _And be careful. Keep your distance if you can. I sense he has some kind of superpowers, but I cannot tell what._

Looking around at the small office, Jun realized that there was not a lot of space for them to fight. He telekinetically lifted the desk and chair and threw them at The Collector. The armored man managed to dodge both items, and the desk splintered into pieces against the wall. Despite Zarcen's previous advice, given the space available Blue Gentleman really had no other option but to go after him in hand-to-hand combat, and he took out his Eskrima sticks. The Collector did not carry any weapons, so perhaps he had an advantage over him in that sense?

The two launched at each other. Blue Gentleman whacked The Collector's armor with his Eskrima sticks a few times, trying to find a weak point in his dark black shell. The Collector managed to block a few of the attacks with his arm braces, and was able to land a few blows on Jun as well. Blue Gentleman, meanwhile, was trying to grab as many things with his telekinesis to slam against The Collector. Sadly, everything else besides the chair and desk that the owner of the office had was very lightweight: books, picture frames, coffee mugs…nothing that caused so much as a dent in The Collector's defenses.

Blue Gentleman did manage to strike a hard hit on the top of The Collector's unprotected head with one end of his Eskrima sticks. The Collector cried out in pain and stumbled back, breaking off the combat and allowing Jun a moment to catch his breath. He had to admit that The Collector was a powerful warrior, and he suddenly understood why Haunt and his father had previously had such a hard time fighting him.

_This guy's tougher than he looks,_ Jun admitted to himself.

The Collector rubbed his head at the pain. He then looked up, and although his eyes could not be seen through his visor, Jun could tell he was glowering.

"Disciplining you will be a pleasure," he snarled, and then launched another attack.

Blue Gentleman blocked the initial punch with his Eskrima sticks again, but The Collector flipped his wrists so that he then gripped the base of the weapons where Jun's hands were holding them. Zarcen cried out to him in warning, but it came too late. There was a burning sensation on his wrists for a split second before he felt the chain reaction of being electrocuted.

Jun screamed and dropped his Eskrima sticks. It was a sensation he had never felt before, and _Lord_ did it hurt! His body seized up, and he once again found that he couldn't move his own body, this time for an entirely different reason. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to make him never want to feel it again.

He felt his body collapse to the ground, and he still couldn't move. He heard the distinct sound of a small explosion just before his vision went completely dark.

* * *

'_The strongest of all of us' he said,_ Brightside repeated in her head, trying to keep her thoughts out of the mind-link as she waited. _'Perfect for a breakout' he said. Now here I am, stuck on lookout duty again. Kieran was just saying all that to make me feel better._

Felicity rested her chin on her fist. She could not help but feel a little jealous. It was only a few minutes ago that Haunt had asked if she was ready for the mission to officially state. "Ready" was poor word choice; her job was simply to sit around on the roof of one of the surrounding buildings and wait for something to go wrong. The others got to be covert, sneak in, do some spying and hacking…and she was apparently the brawn of the group, which was not nearly as exciting or as useful as it sounded.

Feeling useless was becoming a consistent problem for her.

_Part of me _wants_ something to go wrong, _she admitted to herself. _Just so I can maybe _actually_ do something useful._

"**I wonder what this transmitter is supposed to do," **she heard Haunt say through the mind-link. She was only paying half attention. **"And what this Nexus Crystal is. Find anything Lancet?"**

"**A few things," **Lancet told him. **"I've copied most of it onto my flash drive, and – ah!"**

"**Lancet?!" **Brightside heard Blue Gentleman yell. Felicity instantly sat up straighter.

"**Lancet!" **Haunt questioned... **"Are you still there?!"**

"**What is it?!"** Felicity inquired. She was standing now, staring hard at the LexCorp building as if she could see through the walls to her companions. **"What happened?!"**

"**We're under attack!"** Lancet mentally shouted. **"Someone snuck up on us! Shade's out!"**

Brightside did not pause at all. **"Hang on! I'm coming!"**

Felicity took off, heading for the top of the LexCorp Tower. She knew that Lancet and Shade were going to be in the upper floors, so that was where she headed. The problem was that she wasn't sure of a more specific location of where they might be. The best she could do was fly around the tower, checking each window until she was able to find someone.

She did come across a wall that was entirely window (which was most of the outside walls, actually). It was some kind of computer room, with at least twenty desktops and matching keyboards. There were some miniature walls separated each of the computers, forming sort of small cubicles. Many of the computers had been overturned and crushed from what obviously was a battleground. Electricity sparked from some of the torn cords menacingly. On the far side of the room were two security guards who were unconscious and tied up.

She spotted the unconscious form of Shade near the entrance to the room. Lancet was crouched near the window-wall, clutching her head as it bled from a head wound. Her spear was embedded into the wall, sticking straight out perpendicular.

In the center of the room was a slightly older woman, probably somewhere in her early forties. Her slender build was donned in a sleeveless yellow top and dark yellow shorts, showing off muscular legs that were well tanned, probably from being out in the sun a lot. The top was partially hidden by deep orange breastplate armor with matching shoulder pads, neck guards, arm braces and thigh guards. Her wavy, shoulder-length, dirty blonde hair was held back partly by a pair of deep orange-colored goggles. There was a splattering of freckles on her nose, and green eyes could just be seen through her goggles.

Brightside flew up to the window, at a point where the window was shattered broken. As silently as she could, she flew through the opening and hovered behind the woman, who had begun speaking into a communicator.

"Both intruders have been subdued," the woman said, her voice more like a whisper. "Calling in reinforcements, and will bring them in shortly."

"I don't think so," Brightside declared.

The woman turned around just in time to be hit in the torso by one of Brightside's Searing Rays. The woman stumbled back and fell to her knees, clutching her chest. She gathered her breath again and looked up at Felicity. She stared for a minute and then returned the attack, a similar blast of yellow energy.

_What the heck?! _ Felicity thought.

Brightside managed to dodge it, and she rushed at the older woman. The two of them met at the center of the room, both of them flying in the air. Brightside could feel her hands in a death grip. The woman started to spin the two of them around, until Felicity had lost control of her own flight from the inertia. The details of the room began to blur as they spun faster and faster around, and Felicity was beginning to feel nauseous from the sensation.

Her foe suddenly released her hands, and Brightside found herself being propelled into the glass wall. It shattered on impact and she began to fall; however, it took no time at all before she was able to right herself and fly back up to her opponent. The two flew in midair in battle-ready stances. The older blonde woman looked at her curiously.

"Who are you?" she wondered.

"You're worst nightmare," Felicity replied. She readied another of her Searing Rays and was about to attack when another voice called out.

"I wouldn't."

Felicity turned her head to see Blood Zero holding Lancet up by her bright red hair, some of it tearing out. Olivia gripped his wrists and tried to pry herself out of his hands, but this only made him hold her tighter. Lancet refused to give out any gasp of pain or discomfort, although the look on her face told Felicity what pain her head was in, from both Blood Zero's grip and from her previous head injury.

"Stand down, girl," Blood Zero ordered her. His scythe came out with his other hand and he placed the sharpened edge of the blade to Lancet's throat. "Land and put your hands above your head."

Brightside at least lowered her arms, her Searing Ray dissipating from her hands. She stared at Lancet who was just slightly shaking her head, silently telling Felicity not to obey. Brightside looked out of the corner of her eye and saw that Shade was still unconscious.

_What happened to Haunt and Blue Gentleman?_ She speculated. She had not heard from them in a while, and when she tried to call out to them through the mind-link all she received in return was silence.

"I wouldn't mind seeing this girl's blood across the floor," Blood Zero threatened, his tone firm. "But I'm sure you would. I said, stand down."

Felicity mentally sighed. _I can't let him hurt Olivia._

"All right," she agreed, this time verbally. She flew to the floor, landed on her feet and put her hands above her head as commanded. "I'm standing down."

"Good girl," Blood Zero said, patronizing.

He roughly dropped Lancet to the floor; she just laid there with her throbbing head in her hands. The unnamed blonde woman, in the meantime, returned to land herself, walked up behind Brightside and snapped something around her neck.

Felicity instantly felt as if a switch on her abilities had been turned off. She could no longer feel her sunlight power flowing through her body as it normally wound. She hadn't felt like that since she was twelve, before her powers manifested. Brightside realized that the woman had put an inhibitor collar on her, and she watched Blood Zero do the same to Shade. The woman grabbed her hands and pulled them behind her back, securing them with a set of thick, hinged handcuffs.

Another woman, this one younger with black hair, entered the room at this time. She saw the scene and wordlessly grabbed the lance that was still sticking out of the far wall. She then took Lancet by the shoulder and put a pair of handcuffs on her as well. Blood Zero unceremoniously picked up Shade, tossed him over his shoulder and then headed for the door.

"Hurry up, you two," he insisted. "Avatar's waiting."

The black-haired, Asian woman took Lancet while the blonde woman behind Felicity carefully pushed her forward. With no choice but to follow at this point, she did so, and she sighed audibly.

"Don't worry," the woman said in her wispy tone. Brightside didn't respond as she began walking. "Everything will be all right."

* * *

Haunt struggled against the ropes that kept him bound. He didn't bother try and fight the gag around his mouth however. Following the use of his Panic Wail, Pandora had shown up to help Golem. Kieran could handle Golem well enough on his own, but he had absolutely no defense against any of Pandora's paralyzing spells. An inhibitor collar was placed around his neck once his body was completely immobile. Spells to bind and gag him quickly followed, and now he found himself before Golem, Pandora and of course this Avatar person.

Luthor had been escorted out of the room as he had been taken in. The elder man had stared at Haunt for a split second before smirking and continuing to walk. Four guards removed him from the room and brought him to the elevator, although to where Kieran could only guess. Why had Luthor looked at him like that?

It was only a few moments later that The Collector entered the room, and Kieran instantly felt rage boil in his chest. He was carrying the unconscious form of Blue Gentleman. The Collector dumped the boy next to him, and Kieran had to keep himself from groaning in frustration. Jun had been unable to reach the others. Who knew if they were okay? Whoever had attacked them had probably gotten them by now. He could only hope that they weren't hurt too badly.

The only hope any of them had was Brightside. Haunt was pretty sure she would follow the orders his had given her earlier: provide a distraction so they could make an escape. Problem was with Jun unconscious and Olivia and Zyon likely knocked out as well, an escape was not really feasible at this point. He would give her the order to escape on her own, call Red Robin, something like that, but with Jun unconscious the mind-link was down and he couldn't contact her at all.

This mission had gone completely downhill, and _fast_.

After The Collector had placed Blue Gentleman down, he swung around to look at Haunt. He had an almost disbelieving look on his face, and he began to snarl.

"Golem was right," he stated. "You _did_ survive that river. I knew I shouldn't have searched more thoroughly for a body."

"I _told_ you," Golem whined. He gave Blue Gentleman a hard nudge with his foot. "And this is one of the kids from New York."

"It would be safe to say the other two you encountered are here as well," Avatar concluded. "Perhaps they are the ones Solar is bringing."

"I'm bringing three, in fact," a soft voice corrected him.

A blonde woman in yellow and orange armor entered the room, leading with Brightside in front of her. She brought the younger woman into the room and forced her to sit next to Haunt. Chollima entered, holding Lancet's hands behind her back, and Blood Zero was carrying Shade. Shade's head clanked against the tile floors as the man in blood armor released his hold on him, and Kieran cringed at the sound. He also saw that Lancet had a rather nasty gash on her temple. It had stopped bleeding, but it certainly appeared painful.

Pandora looked at the teenagers. "Five?"

"This one is new," Golem proclaimed, gesturing to Shade.

"I presume that you children overheard much of our conversation from earlier," Avatar said, looking at each of the awake ones individually. "How much do you know exactly?"

Kieran said nothing. Did he really think he was going to answer that question? Even if he wanted to the gag preventing him from doing so. In his mind he begged that Olivia and Felicity wouldn't say anything. He didn't think they would, and both wisely remained silent as well.

"Very well. Pandora?" Avatar said, his head slightly turning to the dark woman. "Find out how much he knows."

Pandora sauntered up to the kneeling form of Haunt. Smirking, she placed her right hand on the top of his head and began chanting a spell.

He didn't know what to expect from this particular spell, but he definitely wasn't expecting to feel as if his brain was exploding. Black spots blurred his vision as his brain seemed to swell. Visions of the past hour or so blurred through his head. The spying on the meeting, ordering Lancet to download certain files, some points of discussion with Brightside…As Kieran realized what was happening he tried to force her out of his mind. He could barely hear her casting the spell anymore, though he believed that he vaguely heard Felicity shouting at her to stop.

His ears were deaf to his own pain as he started to scream through the gag.

"That's enough!" The Collector demanded. "Watch for his wail!"

Pandora took heed of The Collector's warning and ceased her casting. Haunt slumped forward a little, just barely keeping his upper body off the ground.

"He knows about the device," she reported as Haunt gasped for breath. "And that we seek the Nexus Crystal."

"Do they know details?" asked Avatar.

"Nothing that would compromise our plans," she replied.

"Very good," the leader voiced. "But even that could be our downfall. We cannot let this information reach any remaining members of the Justice League. Kill them."

Haunt barely even registered what was being said. Once the word "kill" was said he did perk up a little, but he didn't have the energy to move more than that at the moment.

"One moment," Solar said with pause. "Keeping them alive may work to our advantage."

"How so?" Avatar inquired.

"You were worried before about not having Ghostwise's powers before," the blonde woman replied. She gestured a thumb towards Kieran. "This is your chance to have them. True, he doesn't have all of his father's powers, but what he does have would be nice for transfer."

"Think about how useful that Panic Wail would be," Chollima added. "Or the beam powers the blonde girl has. Or the telekinesis of The Blue Gentleman."

"We have plenty of telekinetic heroes already," Golem moaned.

"But keeping them alive until the transmitter is complete and then killing them afterwards," Avatar thought aloud. "Yes, that _is_ a much better idea."

"I wouldn't even vote to have Haunt killed anyway," The Collector plotted. "His brother has not been…agreeable these past weeks. I could use this one to get his brother to cooperate more. A little blackmail never hurt anyone."

At the vague mention of Malcolm, Kieran gathered the strength to snap his head up and launch himself at The Collector. He slammed his body into the black-armored villain, knocking his already pounding head against the insulated shell. The Collector was knocked back just a little bit and Haunt fell to the floor again. The Collector righted himself and then grabbed a fistful of the boy's white hair. He sent a few waves of harsh electricity through the boy's body before releasing him again. Haunt's body then went prone, although Brightside and Lancet could see that he was just barely still conscious.

_The Collector is electrokinetic?!_ Lancet thought. _Why didn't Kieran tell us that before?!_

The Collector gave out a guffaw. "Haunt is always good for a laugh."

"I would like to have an opportunity to speak with The Blue Gentleman," Blood Zero interjected. "Once he is awake of course. He is an old nemesis of mine, and I have much to say to him."

"Very well," Avatar seemed rather agreeable this day, Brightside concluded. "You may take him. Solar, begin processing the rest of these children."

"I'll start with this one," Solar stated, grabbing Brightside's arm and lifting her up.

"Chollima, Golem, Pandora, you three take the rest to the holding chambers," Avatar ordered. "Collector, you and I will finish our meeting with Mr. Luthor."

Haunt did not have the power to struggle this time as Golem lifted him back to his feet. He could only watch as his team was separated. Brightside was led away by Solar, Blue Gentleman was picked up by Blood Zero and taken from the room, while Shade, Lancet and he were each dragged off by the remaining villains. The inhibitor collar around his neck started to itch.

* * *

Jun groaned in pain, slowly opening his eyes. His vision was blurry and his body was throbbing horribly. When Jun attempted to rub his head to relieve his headache he found that he could not move his body at all. He felt slabs on metal holding his hands above his head, and his feet were shackled to the ground. His back was pressed against a hard concrete wall. He could move a little, but he was mostly immobile.

He gasped, trying to catch his breath. The last thing he could remember was fighting against The Collector. He had been engaging in close-quarters combat when his foe managed to get a hold of his wrist…and then he recalled the pain.

_The Collector shocked me…_ he thought.

_He is electrokinetic,_ Zarcen said in his brain, sounding tired himself. _I knew I sensed that he had superpowers, but I couldn't distinguish what kind. I'm sorry, Jun._

_Zarcen?_ Jun thought back. _You okay?_

_I am fine,_ he answered. _I awoke shortly before you did._

_Why couldn't you sense his powers?_ Jun wondered. _Usually you can, even to just give me an idea of what they are._

_Jun, I…_ Zarcen paused, seeming to think. _I'm sorry. I have been feeling under the weather._

_How can you feel 'under the weather'?_ Jun speculated. Zarcen had never been sick before…Jun wasn't even sure if he _could_ get sick. _What happened? Where are we?_

_I am not sure,_ admitted Zarcen. _There is an inhibitor collar on your neck. I have been unable to use any of our powers._

_What?!_

"Glad to see you awake,"a deep voice said. Jun blinked his eyes a few more times to try and clear his vision. The indistinct form in front of him came into focus, showing that Blood Zero stood before him in all his red-armored glory. "Hello Blue Gentleman. It's been a few months."

"Since we last saw each other sure," Blue Gentleman added, starting to fight against his restraints harder. "But not since you last killed."

"Yes, but that is neither here nor there," the older man affirmed. He put one hand on his hip. "I needed to speak with you."

It dawned on Jun that he was still wearing his domino mask. Blood Zero had not removed it? His top hat was also still on his head…How on earth did he still have it after that fight?

"Why didn't you take my mask off?" he asked, his brain still a little addled from the electrocution The Collector had put him through.

"I value my secret identity," was the response. "And despite our past, I feel I should respect yours as well."

"Where are my friends?" Jun demanded.

"Being kept here. They are safe for now," Blood Zero informed him. "If you listen to me, I will help you free them. If not, Avatar has already ordered them to be killed after their powers are transferred."

"What do you mean, 'after their powers are transferred'?" Jun queried, his head starting to clear and become functional again.

_It must have something to do with that device they were discussing earlier,_ Zarcen determined.

"You are transferring powers?" Blue Gentleman continued.

"That is Avatar's goal," Blood Zero betrayed his boss. "He plans to draw the powers from as many superheroes as he can into his own army."

So _that's_ what the kidnapping of all the heroes, Justice League members or not, was all about. "…Why are you telling me this?"

"Because, Blue Gentleman," he confessed. "I need your help."

"My help?"

"Yes."

"So you are offering me information in exchange for my help?"

"In a way, but first—" the elder continued, only to be interrupted.

"Why in the world would I help you?" Jun questioned. "After everything you've done? The murders? The destruction? You're a psychopath who kills people for no reason other than you think they deserve to die!"

"You still do not understand," Blood Zero taunted, his previous request forgotten for the moment. "You are still a child. You don't realize just how similar we really are."

"I'm nothing like you!" Jun insisted.

"Don't we both have the same goals? The same desires?" he asked. "We both want to make the world a better place. We both want to stop criminals. The problem is your methods. You continue to let your enemies run free. Killing the trash of the world is the only way to better it."

"That's not true!"

"Tell me, Blue Gentleman," he went on. "What happens to the so-called 'villains' who you beat? What happens to them?"

"They go to prison," Jun said simply. "They are punished for their crimes and—"

"And are then released back into society," Blood Zero disrupted. "Only to start their crimes all over again, and then things get worse. I stop that from happening when I kill."

"You kill because you enjoy it!" Blue Gentleman yelled.

_Jun, you are letting him get to you!_ Zarcen warned.

"Answer me this then," Blood Zero requested. "If you could stop someone from dying, would you?"

"Of course," Jun replied.

"How far would you go to save someone?"

"I'd do anything."

"Would you kill?" said Blood Zero.

"No way!"

"You said _anything_," he voiced. "Try and follow my logic, Blue Gentleman. Let us say there is a man who is planning to kill five people."

"Like you?" Blue Gentleman sneered.

"You receive some information about a hideout where this man will be the night before he kills these five people," Blood Zero ignored him. "But the only thing you can do to stop him is to kill him yourself. Do you do it?"

"Absolutely not!"

"And by letting him live, you doom the lives of five people," he reasoned. "Not only that, it allows him time to figure out that the location of his hideout has been compromised. He is able to fortify the hideout, or change the location to a new one, making it impossible to have the same opportunity to kill him again. The man then has free reign to continue his criminal activities. How can you justify that?"

_He's messing with me,_ Jun concluded. He shook his head. _He's wrong. I _know_ it!_

_Jun, you need to breathe,_ Zarcen advised as calmly as he could considering the circumstances.

_He's wrong, isn't he, Zarcen?_ Jun asked, practically begging. _There's nothing right about killing!_

_No, there isn't,_ Zarcen confirmed. _Jun, you need to calm down._

_How can I calm down?!_ He mentally screamed. _I'm trapped, my powers are blocked, and I can't listen to him anymore!_

_Jun!_

"There are other ways to stop murderers and criminals without killing them!" Jun asserted, out loud this time.

"On a temporary basis perhaps," Blood Zero partially agreed. He sighed. "Felons will always take every chance they get to perform their misdeeds. You do not seem to understand this."

"Maybe I don't want to!"

"I was hoping you could help me, but that's not possible if you cannot see eye-to-eye with me," Blood Zero decided, exhaling loudly. He backed away from Blue Gentleman towards a far door. "I will _make_ you understand, Blue Gentleman."

Blood Zero exited through the door for a minute. With him gone, Jun took the opportunity to look around the room more closely. It was mostly empty, with blank walls covered in nothing but white paint. Against one wall was a metal table with pieces of red colored armor…pieces that Jun immediately recognized as belonging to Blood Zero himself. There were sheets of graph paper with designs for some kind of machine on them, and scattered around the table were what appeared to be the primitive makings of that machine. What this machine did, however, was a mystery to Blue Gentleman. Maybe it was the transmitter Avatar had been talking about?

Jun began to struggle against his shackles more feverously than before.

_I _have_ to get out of here,_ he thought. _Zarcen, any suggestions?_

_I wish I had one,_ the alien mentioned. _With the inhibitor collar in place we cannot use any powers. Unless someone comes to rescue us…_

Blood Zero returned to the room. He had a rope in one hand and was dragging a man tied up behind him. He pushed the man into the center of the room, forcing him to his knees. The man looked to be in his mid-thirties and was scared to death. Blood Zero held the man's head up by his short hair.

"Do you know who this is, Blue Gentleman?" he inquired.

"No idea," Blue Gentleman admitted. _I suddenly have a very bad feeling about this._

"This man is a pimp," Blood Zero explained. "He dapples in drug dealing, human trafficking and prostitution."

Jun stared at him, then at the man on his knees. _Oh crap…_

"What would be the best way to stop this man, Blue Gentleman?" Blood Zero asked. He received no response. Jun just stared at him, his mouth dropped open and eyes wide. "Would you let him go to continue his crimes, or stop him for good?"

"You can't—"

Without warning, Blood Zero swung his scythe out and slit the man's throat. Jun shut his eyes tight and turned away. He could hear the gurgling of the man as blood entered his trachea and into his lungs.

_Oh my god!_ Jun thought. _He's actually going to—_

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of more slicing of flesh and organs falling to the ground, followed by Blood Zero incinerating the skin of the man with his own heating powers. He heard the body of the man fall to the floor, knowing that he was dead.

Jun could smell the blood, the distinct stench of iron-tinged fluid. His body began to shake and he could feel the sweat starting to run down his face. His otherwise normal breathing sped up into panting.

He heard footsteps approaching him, and he knew it was Blood Zero (really, who else could it be?). The smell of the blood became more intense the closer he got.

"I just saved a number of people from being tormented by this man," he proclaimed. "He can no longer force people to do what they don't want, or become addicted to drugs that will hurt them in the end. Consider the good that I just performed. Do you really disagree with this method so much?"

_I'm not opening my eyes,_ Jun repeated to himself. _I'm _not_ opening my eyes!_

_Jun, you must breathe!_ Zarcen directed, his mental tone urgent. _Deep breaths! You cannot have a panic attack now!_

Blue Gentleman felt the sickening smear of blood move across his face, and his limbs began to spasm even harder. His chest started to feel tight and it was almost like he was choking.

"Open your eyes, Blue Gentleman," Blood Zero instructed, his tone oddly serene. "See the blood. Smell it. Take joy in it."

_Take joy in it?!_ He thought, his throat closed up far too tight to allow his voice to work. _Is he insane?!_

Blood Zero's hand swiped across his forehead, and Jun's eye unwillingly snapped open. His sight was taken up entirely by his nemesis' bloody glove for a moment before Blood Zero removed it. Although he couldn't see his face, Jun was fairly sure that he was smiling maliciously.

"How is that?" he inquired. He then moved back and returned to the body, and Jun closed his eyes again. The _last_ thing he wanted was to see a dead body! "Shall I show you the heart next?"

_Zarcen…_ Jun pleaded.

_I'm here, Jun,_ he called back. He felt so helpless! _I cannot help! The collar!_

_I can't breathe, Zarcen…_

The smell of blood filled Jun's nostrils as Blood Zero returned to him and did what Jun could only imagine was placing the dead man's heart near his face. He kept the organ there for a minute before pressing it against the blue suit jacket of the boy's costume, the heat of the heart still present due to it being taken from a fresh body. Jun could feel his stomach begin to twirl and he was sure he was going to vomit any minute now. His skin was beginning to turn hot and his sweating increased twofold.

"You can stop me, you know," Blood Zero taunted, ending Blue Gentleman's contact with the heart after smearing it across his chest a few times. "You'd have to kill me, however."

Jun was too far gone to tell, but Zarcen on the other hand realized that Blood Zero had reached up and clicked the inhibitor collar away, and it fell from Jun's neck. What on earth was he thinking?

"Kill me, Blue Gentleman," he teased. "Imagine I am that hypothetical man who is killing all the people you want to save. If you kill me, I cannot kill anyone else. What will you do?"

_Jun, the collar is off!_ Zarcen thought-spoke to him. _You can get away now! Use telekinesis to remove the restraints and get away!_

_I can't breathe…_ Jun's mantra went on. _The blood…oh god, I can't breathe!_

_Jun!_

It was no use. Jun's panic had taken over his mind, and it was starting to settle into Zarcen as well. If he didn't do something quickly Jun was going to snap, and Zarcen did not want to even think about what could happen then!

"The next one is a prostitute," Blood Zero explained, walking away for a minute and heading back towards the door. "A prostitute who has a depraved tendency to kill the men she's with and then stealing their valuables."

_Jun, please hear me!_ Zarcen said. He was the one begging this time.

_Please make it stop!_ Jun thought. _Please just make it stop!_

_I cannot let this go on,_ Zarcen stated, realized that he was on his own. _I don't like to do this, but I don't have a choice now._

* * *

Felicity tried to hold her grunts as a few of the security guards that Solar had called to escort her away moved her rather roughly. She couldn't stop kicking herself. She should have been there to stop Solar from attacking Shade and Lancet. She should have been able to get them out! She should have been there!

_Too many 'should haves' to think about,_ she muttered in her head.

The guards led her to the eightieth floor, with a single room taking up the entire floor except for a small room that separated the stairs and the elevator from the rest of the floor. The elevator door hissed open and Solar exited, leading the other three through.

The main part of the floor was mostly a greenhouse, filled with plants of various species that Felicity certainly couldn't identify. There were vines that spread up and around the tables and shelves and smaller plants that just sat in pots on those shelves. Two of the walls that were not directly connected to the elevator were made of glass that would allow plenty of natural light inside during the day. The fourth wall had a large computer built into it, along with some rather sophisticated laboratory and chemistry equipment. The ceiling had large grow lights that, even with the inhibitor collar on, Brightside could feel some kind of artificial sunlight replenishing her powers.

"Place her in the chair," Solar ordered, gesturing to the chair in the center of the room. The guards did so, locking her wrists into the metal manacles attached to the chairs arms. Once finished, the guards took what must have been their normal positions next to the chair, but Solar glared at each of them. "Leave. Guard the door."

The guards looked at each other, and then one of them spoke up. "Madam, we always stay to watch the prisoner while you are processing him…or her."

"My orders are different this time," she insisted. "Guard the door."

With their new orders clear, the security guards left the room and stayed by the door leading to the elevator outside the doorway. This left Brightside and Solar alone together.

Felicity stared back at Solar as the older woman took her in. She had the most unusual expression on her face, as if she wasn't sure what to make of the girl in front of her. Solar stepped forward and grabbed Brightside's chin to lift her face, her touch surprisingly tender. She carefully rocked Felicity's head side to side, taking in every detail of her entire face. Solar still said nothing as she released her grip and then walked over to her computer. She pulled a few things out of one of the drawers, including a few vials and a tube connected to a cotton-tipped applicator.

Solar returned to Felicity's side, bent her knees a little so she was level with her eyes and lifted the applicator to her face. She held it patiently in front of her mouth.

"Open your mouth," she ordered. Brightside's eyes narrowed at her. What made her think she was going to obey her? Solar lowered the applicator rather patiently. "Either you open your mouth, spit in a cup, or I take a blood sample. Your call."

_She wants a DNA sample,_ Brightside realized.

She _really_ didn't want to do anything that would expose her identity, but would fighting Solar on this really do her much good? With her powers shut off thanks to the collar, she knew that she would not be able to stop Solar from taking a blood sample from her, and chances were good that she would make it unpleasant if she had to resort to that. Felicity suppressed a sigh and opened her mouth. Solar ran the applicator against her cheek for a few seconds before removing it and placing it in one of the tubes. She rose and walked back over to the computer.

_I suddenly have a very bad feeling about this,_ Felicity thought, unknowingly channeling the same thoughts that Jun had.


	10. Breakout

A/N: So…dang this chapter is long…and the number of times I've rewritten some of these scenes…Striker belongs to reven228, not to me. (It's about time I introduced this character!) And now, to the longest chapter thus far!

* * *

_LexCorp, Metropolis_

_July 22, 23:58 EDT_

The holding chamber of LexCorp Tower was on seventy-fifth floor. This was one of the few floors that did not have a single window, likely in order to prevent anyone from seeing inside. If anyone saw the manacles attached to the walls that held five captives, their hands above their heads but leaving their feet free, it would certainly at the very least raise some questions. There was a single metal bench along the walls allowing the prisoners to sit. The lights on the ceiling were partially out, making the room darker than expected.

Wei shifted his legs as he tried to keep them from falling asleep. His near six foot height made it harder for him to sit comfortably compared to the other, shorter prisoners. He was lucky however, in that he was used to twisting his flexible body into strange positions during his Chi and martial arts training, so he was able to stretch and flex more easily than the others in the room. Compared to the casual jeans, shirts and tank tops that the others wore, he was far more comfy in his dark blue Changshan and black pants, which helped to keep him warm against the freezing metal bench. With a shake of his head his long, braided black hair that reached just to his upper back switched from his left shoulder to his right. All in all, the young Chinese man stood out the most among all of the prisoners.

His dark brown eyes looked up as the one metal door in the room slid open. The people he recognized as Pandora, Chollima and Golem entered followed by a group of security guards. In their custody were three teenagers, probably either Wei's age or just a little younger. One was a white-haired young man who was probably the same age as Wei, the second was a red-haired girl in purple and golden armor, and the third was a boy of African-American descent who was unconscious. He watched as the three were put into the same restraints as he was. Golem stood back and stared at the girl.

"I _know_ I've seen you somewhere before," he declared. "I'm going to figure out where."

"I told you," the red-head voiced. Wei noted that she had an accent that he was sure he had heard somewhere in the European countries he had visited over the past year. "We have _never_ met before. I'd remember you if we had."

Golem paused and just continued to look at her for a minute. "You're eyes are too familiar. I will figure out where I've seen you."

He finally turned away from her. Golem gave the white-haired boy a swift kick in his side before leaving with the two women. The new prisoners were left with the old ones, and Wei had to wonder who they were and what had happened.

"Haunt," the girl, who Wei realized must have been Scottish, said. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Lancet," the white-haired young man replied. He gave her a small half-smile. "It'll take more than a simple kick to take me out."

Wei took a moment to observe them. The three looked worse for wear, especially the unconscious one. They did not look like the other prisoners there. In fact, with the costumes they wore they looked more like they were superheroes of some kind…just like the Justice League Wei had tried to meet with just a few days ago.

"They took all my gear," the girl called Lancet said. "Including my lock picks. Can't get out of this on my own."

"They probably noticed that you don't have any powers," Haunt reasoned. "That's probably why they didn't bother to stick an inhibitor collar on you."

_Inhibitor collar?_ Wei thought. He saw two thick, black collars on Haunt and the dark-skinned boy. _They must interfere with any powers they have._

"Yeah, and no chance of that Panic Wail of yours working right now, huh?" Lancet inquired.

"Even if I didn't have this collar on I wouldn't," Haunt explained. "They took our earplugs too. I'm not taking the chance of giving you guys panic attacks."

Wei was not sure about what they were talking about exactly, but he could deduce that this Haunt character had some voice-based power that he couldn't completely control. He wanted to keep his mouth closed for the time being and continue to listen, but one of the other prisoners next to him began to whisper.

"Who do you think these guys are?" he speculated to Wei. "With the Justice League?"

"Maybe," Wei admitted.

The African-American boy gave out a loud groan, slowly shaking his head and lifting his gaze. He blinked a few times and looked around, taking in the windowless room and his comrades around him. He saw that Haunt was fairly beaten up and Lancet had a nasty head injury. She still seemed aware though. He glanced at the other prisoners, whose identities he did not know, and then gave another shake his head.

"Don't tell me," he moaned. "We got caught."

"Solar took us completely by surprise, Shade," Lancet informed him. "She knocked you out first, and then got me and Brightside."

"Blue Gentleman and I couldn't get to you guys in time to help," Haunt added. "Now we're stuck here."

"What were they talking about, with transferring powers or something?" Lancet wondered.

"It's got to have something to do with that transmitter they were talking about," Haunt mentioned.

"Avatar is making a device that can transfer superpowers from one person to another," Wei suddenly added in, his Chinese accent seeping through his English. The three heroes stared at him for a moment. Wei gestured to the other four prisoners and himself. "That's why they kidnapped us. They took us while we were at the Justice League Festival."

"So you were there too?" Haunt asked.

"Yes," Wei replied. "They plan to use us as test subjects for the device."

"So they probably plan to take our powers too," Shade determined. He looked around again and addressed Haunt. "You figure a way out of here?"

"No."

"Don't you mean not yet?"

"Lancet doesn't have her spear or other gear, and we're helpless with these inhibitor collars on," Haunt told him. "Right now, all we can do is wait."

"I don't think Blue Gentleman or Brightside have time to wait," Lancet proclaimed.

"I know," Haunt agreed. "I'm trying to think of something."

Shade pulled on the manacles holding his hands, shaking them with all his might. Wei could tell that although he looked like he was lightly muscled, he did not look nearly strong enough to break those restraints. He shortly gave up and sighed.

"This is all my fault," he muttered. Lancet looked at him with a confused expression. "Oh come on, Lancet! If I had been paying attention to behind us, that woman wouldn't have gotten the jump on us, the alarm wouldn't have gone off and the others wouldn't have needed to save us."

"I wasn't paying any attention either, Shade," Lancet argued. "We were supposed to watch _each other's'_ backs. I didn't do my part in that."

"And maybe I should have thought better about this plan," Haunt included. "But I was too eager to get this started without thinking of a better back-up plan in case _any_ of us got caught."

He was not aware of the exact circumstances that brought the three there, but Wei couldn't help but think that perhaps they were being too hard on themselves.

"We _have_ to get out of here," Lancet declared. "Who knows what they're doing to BG and Brightside?"

Haunt gave a pull to his own manacles and sighed. "My dad could phase through things. I wish I could do that now."

"You wouldn't be able to with that collar anyway," Lancet reminded him.

"Yeah, but it's the principle of the thing," the white-haired boy said.

"I might be able to help," Wei stated, interjecting into their conversation again.

"How are you going to do that?" Shade cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Avatar and the others kidnapped me thinking that I'm a normal person who would be a good test subject," he explained. "But they haven't learned that I have been trained in Chi manipulation."

Comprehension dawned on Haunt's face. "And you don't have a collar on."

"What's Chi manipulation exactly?" Shade asked.

"Let me demonstrate," Wei answered.

He closed his eyes and began to focus. Directing his inner energies, he concentrated until he could feel it all run through his body, strengthening his already strong form into a state that he knew could bend steel if he so desired…and that was exactly what he intended to do, in a sense. His appearance didn't change nor did he start glowing in any way. The changes were entirely internal, but they had the desired effect.

Wei pulled hard on the restraints bolted to the wall, cracking the concrete behind him and wrenching the anchors out. He found himself completely free in no time. Wei stood and stretched his muscles for a split second before turning to the others and giving them a quiet smile.

"I couldn't even tell you did anything," Lancet observed.

"Channeling Chi takes place only within my body," Wei explained, grabbing onto Lancet's manacles and tearing them apart in the same way as his own. "You wouldn't notice any change."

The Chinese young man had Haunt, Shade and the other prisoners free shortly after that. Lancet noticed as he moved to release Haunt and Shade that his Changshan has a symbol of the Lotus on the back. Afterwards, he gently slid his fingers under the collar around Shade's neck. Focusing his Chi again he was able to snap it off his neck, eliciting only a small wince from him as the electricity powering the collar shocked him a little. Wei gave him an apologetic smile before repeating the process on Haunt. Haunt massaged his wrists where the manacles had rubbed his skin. He quickly turned to Wei.

"I'm not sure if I should consider meeting you fate or a coincidence," he complimented.

"Let's just be happy we met at all," Wei said.

Haunt headed over to the metal door that led to the elevators and staircase. "There are probably guards just outside. We need to take them out."

"I'll join you," declared Wei.

The two stood next to the doorway, Haunt gesturing for the others in the room to stand back. He pushed the keypad to open the door (realizing that they must be _really_ confident that they couldn't escape if they had left the door unlocked). Wei heard confused statements of "Huh?" that came from at least two guards before leaping out and giving a swift kick to the guard on the right. He applied his fingers to a pressure point at the guard's neck, knocking him out quickly. Haunt jumped into the room after him, taking out the other guard with a flurry of punches.

"Move them inside," Haunt directed. He and Wei grabbed the guards and dragged them into the cell, locking them into the manacles they had been guarding only moments before.

"So, what now Haunt?" Shade asked. "We need to get out of here before something else happens."

"Don't forget we have to get BG and Brightside out too," Lancet reminded them.

"Plus these guys here," Haunt added, pointing to the four prisoners. "Shade, you're the most likely to get them out of here without attracting attention. You think you can teleport them out?"

"It would take a while," Shade described. "I could only teleport one at a time, and only a short distance at a time. But I think so."

"Okay, we can at least get you started by getting you to the ground floor," Haunt said. He pointed to one of the two elevators, which were to the right of the doorway leading to the staircase. "Get in contact with Skyhawk and have her pick you up in the _Goliath_."

"Should I tell her to come get the rest of you?" he inquired.

"Not right away," Haunt corrected. "Tell her to keep out of sight until we contact her again. Her showing up might give away that we're trying to escape, and I don't want her getting shot down before then."

"You got it," Shade said with a thumb up.

"Lancet, you find Brightside and Blue Gentleman," he continued. "Shade, meet us back here once you get all these guys to safety."

"What are you going to do?" Lancet questioned.

"I'm going after The Collector," Haunt said simply. He then rushed to the staircase and bolted upwards, leaping the stairs two at a time.

"Wait! How exactly are we supposed to…?" Lancet began, but trailed off when she realized that Haunt was no longer in hearing range. "Huh. And he blames _me_ for running off without others."

"What _should_ we do now?" Shade asked, directing the question to Lancet.

She looked at him, and Wei thought he understood why he was asking her. Obviously he was expecting her to take command right now. Lancet was a member of Shade's team, and although Wei was not sure how much experience she had in these circumstances, it was probably more than Shade did. Lancet, however, seemed unfazed at the idea of acting in command.

"I need my spear and my equipment in order to be of any use," she explained. "And we need to get that flash drive back, otherwise what was the point of the mission? It's with my stuff, but I don't know where that might be."

"They passed by a room on the seventy-seventh floor when they brought the rest of us in," Wei described. "I saw they kept a lot of superhero gear there. Your things may be in that room."

"It's a start," Lancet said, giving him a grateful nod. "Shade, you get the rest of these people to safety. Think you can do that?"

Shade looked even more determined than before. "I won't let you down this time."

"Take the elevator like Haunt said. It'll give you a head's start and save you some distance teleporting," she ordered. Shade gave a mock salute and gathered the four prisoners into the far right elevator, ordering it to head to the ground floor. With any luck, they wouldn't encounter anyone on the remaining seventy-four floors. Lancet stopped Wei from following them. "I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?"

"I have some training in unarmed combat, but not enough to really feel confident if I run into someone like Solar again," Lancet illuminated. "Plus, you know the room where I'm heading. Would you help me get my gear and then get my teammates out?"

Wei gave a quiet smile, and Lancet couldn't help but feel like she could trust his gentle face. "I am at your disposal."

"What's your name?"

"You may call me Striker."

"Striker it is. Thank you. Let's go then," the Scottish girl asserted. She headed for the other elevator when she realized that it was actively coming down from an upper level. "Uh-oh. Someone's coming."

"It could be the enemy," Striker stated. "It might be a better idea to take the stairs."

"You're right," Lancet concurred.

The pair followed Haunt's lead and went to the staircase, heading upwards themselves to the seventy-seventh floor. Wei was very relieved that he had kept his Chi manipulation a secret from the New Light. His instincts that patience would allow him a chance to escape proved to be right once again.

* * *

The elevator opened up on the seventy-fifth floor, where Lex Luthor knew the prisoners were kept. It was also where the teenage intruders had been taken after they had been found out and captured. Once he was done with his meeting with Avatar and The Collector, he had waited in his office for a little bit. He did not want to seem too suspicious after all

Now the multi-billionaire was on his way to meet with the intruders. He exited the elevator, leaning a little more heavily on his cane than he would have liked. Luthor had always prided himself in seeming younger than his early seventies. He ate well and kept his body in shape…the idea that he was becoming more dependent on a stick to help him walk was more than a little frustrating.

"Sir, we have arrived," one of the three bodyguards who accompanied Luthor stated. "The prisoners are just inside."

Luthor turned to the guard. "Yes. I wish to speak with them. Take me to them."

"Sir, perhaps it would be best for you to wait here while we check on the prisoners," a second guard suggested. "To make sure that they are properly restrained."

"I'll check on them," the third bodyguard said. "I can bind the boy and bring him to you out here."

"Very well," Luthor acquiesced.

Two of the bodyguards left to enter the cell, with the third guard keeping watch over Luthor. Lex leaned a little more on his cane, deep in thought.

_Well, I'll finally get to meet the legendary Ghostwise's son,_ he mused to himself. _I wonder how much exactly he is like his father. He'll no doubt be suspicious of my intentions, but if I can offer him the right deal he and his team may just work for me._

"Mr. Luthor!" one of the guards inside yelled. "It's an emergency!"

Luthor lifted his gaze as the two guards returned, empty-handed. He had to keep the surprise off his face.

"The two guards assigned to this cell are unconscious and locked up," the first reported. "The rest of the restraints are empty."

"It appears that the intruders have somehow managed to escape!" the second continued.

"What?" Luthor replied, his voice rising just a little before immediately calming down. "I see."

_I should have seen this coming,_ he thought, a smirk spreading across his lips. _They are trying to escape from LexCorp. I should expect no less from Ghostwise's son._

"Your orders, sir?" the bodyguard closest to Luthor inquired. Lex looked up at the three of them, glad at the calm manner of these three loyal bodyguards.

"Listen carefully. Do not tell anyone about this," he commanded, addressing two of the three guards. "Keep the doors to this area closed. Don't let anyone in or out."

"Yes sir!" the two declared.

"In one hour, if the alarm has not already been raised," Luthor went on. "Sound the alarm. Let the 'New Light' know that their prisoners have escaped right under their noses. One hour. Not a second earlier."

The pair saluted the older man, and Luthor turned his attention to the third bodyguard.

"Prepare my helicopter," Luthor ordered. "I will be leaving immediately. I don't want to be here when things go south."

Luthor gave a quick look to the cell through the door as his two guards entered the room and shut the door. The last bodyguard led his back to the elevator, and he pushed the button leading to the rooftop.

* * *

"See anyone?" Lancet asked Striker as he looked around the corner of hallway.

The floor consisted of just two hallways that were perpendicular to each other, forming a T-shaped passage. The far door at the end of the longer hallway was being safeguarded by two soldiers, one on each side of the doorway. They looked to be better armed and protected than the previous guards they had taken care of. The two men still looked rather distracted, or perhaps bored, however.

"Two guards," Striker replied. "They aren't paying much attention. We could easily ambush them."

"Hard to ambush without them seeing us," Lancet reminded him. "There's just this hallway. Can't exactly get the jump on them. I'm _not_ getting into a vent either."

"We need a distraction," Wei concluded. He looked around, trying to find something he could use. His gaze landed on the Lancet's shoulder armor. "Can you remove those?"

Lancet looked at her armor. "You want to use these?"

"I'm going to throw one," he answered.

Lancet unstrapped her right shoulder pad and hand the metal piece over. Taking it from her, Striker gently pushed her against the wall behind him and crept to the corner of the hall leading to the next passage. He glanced at the guards again for a moment before tossing the shoulder pad across the hallway to the other side. It clanged against the wall, obviously getting the attention of the guards.

"What was that?!" one of them cried.

"Go check it out," the other commanded.

"I'm not checking it out!" the first argued. "_You_ check it out!"

"I said _you _check it out!"

"Oh good grief," Lancet moaned quietly.

"Fine!" the first guard eventually said. "We'll _both _go."

"Most ineffective guards ever," Lancet joked, and Striker had to stifle a chuckle.

The two security guards headed over to where the shoulder pad had landed in the opposite hallway. These were clearly not the most intelligent guards either, as neither one even glanced in the teenagers' direction. As one of the guards knelt down to pick up the piece of armor, Striker and Lancet snuck up behind them and successfully got the jump on them.

Striker knocked the first guard into the wall, making sure that he did not hurt him too badly. He delivered a flat palm strike to the guard's chin, knocking his head back before giving a hard punch to his stomach. The man hunched over in pain and Wei gave another strike to his back, effectively knocking the man comatose.

Lancet, not being as well trained in fighting without a weapon, was able to keep the guard busy but was having trouble actually taking him down. She parried his blows using her arm braces, and she was able to relieve him of his gun he had kept at his side. Olivia tossed the gun away only to be slammed against the wall and held by her neck. This didn't last very long, however, as Striker quickly grabbed the man and flipped him over, knocking him to the ground and out of consciousness. He turned to the young woman and held out a hand to help her stand.

"Thanks," she said.

"You were right about not being trained in unarmed combat," he stated pleasantly. "I mean no offense in that."

"Don't worry about it. You're right," Lancet replied. She picked up her shoulder pad and walked down to where the guarded door was. "Just wait until I get my spear back, and _then_ I can show you my stuff."

The metal door had a lockpad just to the right of it. There was a keypad and a scanner for a handprint. Lancet and Striker glanced at each other before Wei headed back to grab the two guards and dragged them over to the door. They knew it was a long shot…which proved to be true when both guards' handprints were rejected.

"We might need both the right handprint and a number code," Striker mentioned.

"So even if we had the right print," Lancet reasoned. "We wouldn't have enough to get in anyway."

Lancet took a closer look at the lockpad. It didn't look like it had any opening to it, and no way to plug something in to hack into it.

"All my hacking gear's inside," the Scottish girl told Striker while giving the keypad a glare. "I could try different combinations, but who knows what it might be."

"And with all the different possible combinations of different lengths…" Striker trailed off.

"It could take hours," Lancet concluded. "That's time we don't have."

Striker stood in front of the door, contemplating how exactly they were going to get inside. Lancet was right; they absolutely had to get their equipment inside, and Lancet's comrades did not have any time to waste. She had told him that one of her teammates had been taken by Blood Zero while another had been taken by Solar. From what Wei knew about those two, Lancet's companions were in huge trouble.

There was one option…

"I could break through the door," Wei suggested. "My strength greatly increases when I focus my Chi. I can smash boulders…"

"And break open metal doors," Lancet completed in awe. "Nice. Just like with the chains and the collars."

"Of course, but it can be very damaging," he explained. "I might set off an alarm or something if I try."

The young woman considered this for a minute. "We _need_ what's inside. It's a chance we have to take."

Wei nodded. Lancet observed him as Striker focused his energies. Again she couldn't tell that he was doing anything until he shifted his body backwards and lifted his right arm in preparation for a punch. He swung right leg forward followed by his right arm, landing a palm strike straight into the center of the door. It crumpled like paper and folded inside, flying across the room to the wall farthest from the entrance.

No alarm went off, not that the two could tell anyway. The pair entered the room and looked around. There was a multitude of equipment inside, ranging from medieval swords to primitive ray guns. There were computer parts, boxes filled with ammo and uniforms, both with and without body armor, and what looked to be dried food rations. Lancet instantly spotted her spear, utility belt and cartridge strap in the far corner. She quickly walked over and grabbed them, checking the compartment in her spear for the flash drive she had been downloading Luthor's files onto.

She signed in relief. It was still there.

Lancet refitted her gear on her body. She was able to find Blue Gentleman's Eskrima sticks along with a shoulder belt that she recognized that Shade usually wore. She glanced inside one of the pockets, finding a single combat knife and a few throwing stars. Odd, she didn't know he even had those.

Her gaze fell on Striker, who was looking around the room himself. She did not think that he had any equipment he would need here. However, her theory was proven wrong as his eyes settled on something and he perked up. He walked over to a strange ceramic container. It was deep brown in color and narrower in the center, giving it the shape that reminded her of an hourglass, with a rope tied around the middle. He picked it up and tied it to his belt by the rope.

"What is that?" Lancet inquired, curious.

"It's a sake gourd," he answered.

The girl had wanted to ask more about it, but was interrupted by the strangest thing.

_Hello? Olivia?_ A voice in her head called out. _Can you hear me?_

Olivia froze. It was a deep voice, quite a few octaves lower than any man she had heard speak before. He also sounded older, and certainly tired. She thought that he sounded a little like a grandfather. Too many things about it were off about it though. First, she didn't like that he was speaking to her through what was obviously a telepathic link. Knowing the number of telepathic heroes, villains and aliens in general with this ability, she had no idea what kind of person was speaking to her. Second, she definitely didn't recognize the voice, so she instantly mistrusted it.

Third, she _really_ didn't like the fact that whoever this person was knew her name. She was immediately ill at ease.

"**Who is this?"** She demanded. **"Who are you?"**

_My name is Zarcen,_ the voice answered. _I believe Jun told you about me._

"**Zarcen?"** She repeated. **"As in the alien that lives in Jun's head?"**

_The very one._

"**Wait, what about Jun?"** She wondered. **"Why are you calling me and he's not? Is he okay?"**

"Is everything all right, Lancet?" Striker asked her.

She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. It was rather difficult to hold two conversations like this, one verbal and one mental.

"I'm being contacted by…a friend," Olivia described. "One of my teammates, kind of."

"Through a telepathic link?"

"Exactly."

_Jun is…not doing well,_ Zarcen admitted. _Olivia, I desperately need your help!_

"**Where is Jun?" ** She demanded.

_That's what I need your help with,_ Zarcen clarified. _We're in the hands of Blood Zero. He's torturing Jun. I can't get him to focus to escape. You need to help me get him out of here!_

"**Where are you?"** Lancet inquired. **"I'll come get you."**

_The seventy-second floor I believe,_ Zarcen informed her. _I can lead you there telepathically._

"**I will be right there!"** Lancet thought to him. She turned to address Striker out loud. "I have to go free one of my teammates. He's in trouble."

"Weren't there two you have to save?" Striker inquired.

"Yeah, Brightside," she confirmed. Olivia took a deep breath. "Some woman named Solar took her. I've no idea where."

"She probably took her to her greenhouse," Striker told her. "Solar brought me there once for 'processing,' I guess to see if I would be a good test subject."

"So you know where she is?"

"I think so."

Lancet looked at him. She took another breath. Logically she knew that she couldn't save both Jun and Felicity at once. Based on Zarcen's mental tone Jun was in deep trouble, but who knew how Felicity was doing? She couldn't just abandon one or the other, but she couldn't be in two places at the same time.

"Striker," she said. "I need to ask another favor."

"You want me to go get Brightside, right?" he guessed.

"I know this had nothing to do with you," Olivia admitted. "But—"

"Lancet, I got myself into this mess," Striker softly stopped her with a raised hand. "And you are helping me get out of it. The least I can do is help you get everyone out of here."

With shared smiles between them, Striker ran off. Lancet lifted a hand to her forehead.

"**Okay Zarcen,"** she called out in her mind. **"Tell me where you are!"**

* * *

Jun had gone from mentally begging the torment to end to becoming completely unresponsive. He had not said or thought a single word for some time. The minutes seemed to drag on as Blood Zero continued to murder different people and leave their corpses for Jun to smell. He hadn't opened his eyes since that first murder, making it impossible for Zarcen to tell what was going on exactly, since his eyesight was directly connected to Jun's.

Blood Zero slid the dead body of his latest victim (a young man who had raped a small child) over to the side of the room, where a pile of bodies lay, blood pooling beneath it. He looked back at Blue Gentleman with a smirk beneath his helmet.

"This really bothers you doesn't it," he sneered. No response of course came from the younger man.

_Jun, help is on the way!_ Zarcen declared. _You must hold on just a little longer!_

Again Jun was silent other than moaning in emotional agony. He occasionally shook his head in some form of denial, but nothing he was doing seemed to be the proper reaction to what was going on around him. Zarcen was finding it more difficult to concentrate on his own without Jun's panic infiltrating into his own thoughts.

_Lancet!_ He called out. _I need you here now!_

"**I'm almost there!"** she replied.

"It'll take time," Blood Zero continued. "But I'm sure I can desensitize you to flesh and blood."

The man in red armor took a glance at the corpse pile forming at the wall. He had killed four people since he started to "show" Blue Gentleman how to properly deal with criminals. He was determined to make this boy share his way of thinking.

Blood Zero was debating about who he was going to bring in to kill next when he heard the swish of his main door opening. He turned to see who would dare to interrupt him when he felt a solid weapon slam into his chest, knocking him back a few feet. The villain held a hand to his armored chest; it didn't hurt, but he certainly felt of impact of that blow.

Glancing up, he saw the red-haired girl that had been captured earlier. She was wielding a cybernetic spear that currently was pointed directly at him.

"Get away from him!" she declared.

Blood Zero regained his composure just a few moments later and laughed.

"Are you going to fight me, girl?" he jeered.

In response, Lancet launched herself at the villain again, aiming her spear towards his elbows, which were less armored than the rest of his body. Blood Zero grabbed his scythe from against the wall and parried against her attack with relative ease. The girl swung her spear around in a twirl and slammed it against the shaft of his tall scythe. He swung the two-foot blade at her, although Lancet was able to just barely dodge it. The two exchanged blows a few times, with Lancet trying her hardest to get the upper hand and not succeeding against a much taller and physically stronger man.

"I have to give you credit, girl, you have guts," Blood Zero admitted condescendingly. "But I'm done playing with you."

Blood Zero shifted his scythe to his off hand and lifted his dominant arm. With a hiss a small laser raised up from the armor on his forearm. It charged for a second and then shot a red laser at Lancet. That second gave her enough time to recognize what was happening and gave her time to jump out of the way. He fired a second beam at her, forcing her to duck behind an overturned metal table.

"**Lasers!"** Olivia called, keeping the mind-link with Zarcen open. **"He's got lasers!"**

_Lancet, he does not seem to do as well in close combat,_ Zarcen suggested.

"**You're right, I have to get in close,"** she agreed. **"I bet he won't be able to use that laser at point blank range."**

True enough, the amount of energy the laser expelled made firing it at close range very dangerous. Blood Zero could feel the heat from his arm begin to spread into his armor, making it burn his skin underneath very slightly. Fortunately, his own powers over heat and electricity kept him from becoming too badly hurt.

Lancet didn't know that though.

The Scottish woman leapt out from behind the table and launched herself towards Blood Zero, who quickly blocked her attack with his scythe again. The two came to blows a few more times, and then Lancet noticed an opening. Blood Zero lifted his elbow just a few centimeters too high, and she was able to hook her spear beneath his hand holding the main pole of the scythe. It flung out of his hands with a whirl, embedding itself into the floor near the corpse pile.

Now disarmed, Blood Zero had a much harder time counterattacking as Lancet began to get the upper hand. She started to push his backwards until the back of his armor hit the wall. Not to be outdone, however, the older man began to activate his own superpowers.

Lancet was completely unaware that Blood Zero had any powers. She had thought that he was a normal human being, like herself, who just managed to create reinforced armor and weapons to fight. The truth was that Blood Zero was able to both produce electrical output (which was acting to power his armor and his laser) as well as superheat the air surrounding him. So when Lancet began to sweat and feel the temperature around her rise, she was more than a little surprised.

The heat quickly became more than Olivia could handle and she stumbled back, gasping for air. Blood Zero shoved her back with a strong punch to her chest, her armor being the only thing that protected her from his reinforced fist. She landed against the opposite wall, grunting in pain and dropping her spear. The villain launched himself at her, with every intention of melting her face off.

Lancet managed to gather herself up enough to grab her spear again and hold it out horizontally against the attack. She was not able to completely fend off the attack, but she was able to keep him from crushing her entirely. Olivia gritted her teeth as she pushed against him.

"**Damn it," **she cried in her head. **"I'm not strong enough to throw him off! He's going to kill me!"**

_Hold on, Lancet!_ Zarcen mentally yelled out.

No sooner had the alien said that, Blood Zero was lifted up into the air. His head snapped back and forth in shock as he tried to get his feet back on the ground. However, all he could do was move his arms and legs around helplessly, not quite floundering around but it was clear that the panic of not being able to move of his own accord anymore was starting to sink in.

Blood Zero's gaze landed on Blue Gentleman, who was still shackled against the wall, his eyes closed and his body shaking like a leaf. Having battled against Blue Gentleman multiple times previously, he could easily recognize the boy's telekinesis. He was more than a little astonished that he was able to gather enough thoughts and energy to use his powers, considering the bloody torment he knew he had put Blue Gentleman through.

_He must be recovering,_ Blood Zero concluded. _Damn it._

As he floated around, Olivia gathered the strength to stand again. Seeing her opportunity to attack, she rushed at him with the blunt end of her spear towards the ground. She used the weapon to propel herself into the air and forward. With her grip still on her spear, she flung her right foot and kicked him squarely in the jaw.

His blood red helmet and blue visor were knocked off his head, sending it into the wall and leaving a rather large dent. Olivia wondered what the helmet was made out of in order to cause that kind of damage to the cement and metal that made up the LexCorp building. As she landed a few meters from him, Blood Zero lifted his gaze and looked at her, covering most of his face with his palm. Only his short black hair and a single brown eye were visible behind his hand. His single eye narrowed at the Scottish girl and he immediately spun around.

"Another time, I suppose," he chided.

Blood Zero lifted his arm again and blew away part of the outside wall with his laser. He jumped through the opening, apparently falling to his death below. Lancet ran to the hole and looked outside, searching for him. The man was nowhere in sight.

"**Can he fly?"** Lancet wondered.

_Not to my knowledge,_ Zarcen answered her. _And Jun and I have faced him a number of times._

At his response, Lancet instantly left the hole and rushed over to Jun. He was lifted up against the wall high enough that she was just barely able to reach his arms that were held above his head. His eyes were still shut tight and he was slightly shaking his head.

"BG? Blue, can you hear me?" The young woman exclaimed, placing her hands on his clammy face. He didn't respond; he just flinched a little at her voice and continued to pant heavily. "Oh, you're as pale as a ghost. I've got to get you out of here."

_I believe there's a key card somewhere in here that may open these locks,_ Zarcen informed her.

Lancet nodded, not sure if Zarcen could see her or not as she had no idea how much of Zarcen's own vision was connected to Jun's. She supposed he could at least sense where people were, based on the attack he just did on Blood Zero.

Olivia turned around and searched the remains of the room to see if she could find that key card. The only table left was the one she had hidden behind before, so she headed over there to try and see if she could find anything. The equipment surrounding the table mostly consisted of knives and whips, with the exception of the scythe blade still buried in the floor, which Olivia was sure Blood Zero used on his many victims like the ones laying in a pile on the other side of the room…

Her head back snapped in shock at the pile of corpses, blood pooling around them and running down into the crevices where the walls met the floor. Her stomach began turn, and Olivia forced herself to look away.

"Holy…" she muttered, her hand covering her mouth. Keeping her back to the bodies, she began searching the debris around the table. "Don't lose your nerve, Lancet."

It only took her a few moments to find a green key card, which she hoped was the one that would unlock Jun's restraints. She swiped the card through the line at the restraints, and they popped open. Jun's body tumbled out, and Olivia caught him and slowly lowered his body to floor.

"Jun, can you hear me?" Olivia whispered. He didn't respond and she shook her head. "That Blood Zero guy…he's just sick!"

"_Sick" is a very apt term,_ Zarcen agreed.

Olivia grabbed the young man's blood-soaked suit jacket and pulled it off him. She then hoisted him to his feet, one arm over her shoulders, and began heading for the door.

"I bet you won't want that jacket anymore, with all that blood," she figured. She headed for the door leading to the exit and pushed it open. **"Zarcen, it was you who helped me with Blood Zero, huh?"**

_That's right,_ he acknowledged. _It's harder for me to use any telepathy or telekinesis with Jun being unconscious as he is, but it is fortunate that I was able to do at least that._

"**You're an angel, Zarcen,"** she returned.

Lancet carried Blue Gentleman through the doorway and started down the hall. It was a little awkward to carry both him and her spear at once, but she somehow managed to balance between them.

Knowing that she had no chance of getting Jun out of the building on her own while he was as out of it as he was, she decided that she needed a place to hide. She looked around for a bit before coming to a men's restroom. It was not the safest (and certainly not the most glamorous) hiding place, but there was no one inside. Luck was also on her side, as it would seem that a janitor had recently been inside to clean the bathroom but had not finished the job, and had actually left his cart with all the cleaning supplies necessary in the bathroom. Lancet half carried Blue Gentleman over to the far side of the room and sat him down next to the sinks before returning to the cart and pushing it in front of the door, jamming the handle as much as she could.

"It won't stop anyone from coming in," she told herself. "But it should at least slow them down."

Olivia turned back to Jun's prone body and looked him over. His breathing was starting to slow to a normal rate, and he was not sweating as much as before. Now that he was out of range of the smell of the blood and the sight of dead bodies, it seemed as if he was starting to recover from his panic attack.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Olivia decided, taking some towels from the janitor's cart and soaking them in warm water from the sink. "Zarcen? Can you still hear me?"

_I'm here, Lancet,_ the alien replied. _I am going to try and help bring Jun out of this. He has shut down most of his mind._

"Good idea. You focus on that," she instructed. "I'll work on getting this blood off him. Wouldn't do any good for him to have another panic attack right after recovering from this one."

Most of the blood that Blood Zero had smeared on him had been on the suit jacket that Lancet had left behind. However, there was still some drying blood on his face, mask, hat and shirt. Olivia did her best to wet the blood so it would come off more easily. She temporarily removed his domino mask to wipe it clean before replacing it on his face.

Olivia watched him for a moment as color seemed to return to his cheeks. "Jun, I am _never_ going to poke fun at your squeamishness at the sight of blood _ever_ again."

* * *

_Yeah, I _really_ don't like this at all,_ Felicity thought, still strapped to the metal chair in the middle of Solar's greenhouse.

Felicity looked around the room, taking a break from struggling against the shackles that kept her prisoner. The smell of herbs and flowers filled the air, indicating this woman was very interested in botany and horticulture. The woman in question, Solar, was furiously typing away at the keyboard for her large wall computer. The data was flashing across screen faster than Felicity could keep track of. That is, until the word "Match" came upon the screen, flashing in bright red. A long sheet came out of the printer, and Solar grabbed it and quickly read it.

The young hero was unable to decipher the expression on the older woman's face. She just stared at the sheet for a number of minutes, occasionally stealing glances at Brightside. Eventually she walked up to Felicity and held the paper out for her to see.

"Read this," she ordered, her voice just above a whisper.

Felicity looked at the sheet, confused about why Solar wanted her to read this thing, but obeyed anyway.

"Combined Parentage Index 153.435," the young woman read out loud. "Mitochondrial DNA match. Probability of maternity 99.348%."

Felicity trailed off. She was no expert in genetics, but she understood the language well enough.

"In other words," Solar finished, removing the paper from the girl's sight and returning to the computer to set it on the keyboard. "The results are consistent with a mother-daughter relationship."

The young woman just watched as Solar stood staring at the computer screen, still flashing the word "Match" on it, for few minutes. She moved to raise her goggles off her eyes to rest on her forehead. Solar then turned around to face Brightside again, showing the green eyes that they shared. She slowly returned to Felicity's chair and leaned down.

Felicity was not sure exactly how to react to this information. Her mother had left her on her father's doorstep when she was just one day old. She never knew her, and Anthony never liked to talk about her. Felicity had always assumed that the woman had simply died, and never in her life would she actually meet the person who gave birth to her. This was awkward.

It certainly didn't help when Solar pulled Brightside into a strong hug, Felicity still chained to the chair. She couldn't hug back, or move at all for that matter. It was so odd to have her face pressed into the shoulder of this stranger.

"My little Felicity," Solar whispered, her voice dropping even more.

_Oh god, she even knows my name,_ Felicity thought, eye widening a little. _This is too weird._

Solar finally released her grip on the younger woman, pulling back and placing her hands on her shoulders. She fingered one of the girl's dreadlocks.

"Interesting choice of hairstyle," she joked rather uneasily.

Felicity just stared at her.

"You're sixteen now," she continued. Of course, she would know Felicity's age. "I've missed so much. We can fix that though."

Felicity glared at her, her voice suddenly returning. "Fix it? What do you mean by that?"

"All these years I've missed, all the milestones, the accomplishments," Solar told her. "Your first word, your first steps, first day at school…But we can make up for it. We—"

"What makes you think I care about that?" Brightside demanded. "You left me on my dad's doorstep! I honestly never thought I'd ever meet you, and now I find you're…Just what is going on?!"

"It's a long story, Felicity," Solar told her with a sigh. "I can explain it to you in time. We have all the time in the world now."

"What makes you think I'm interested in listening to you?" Brightside asked. She cocked her head to the side. "Besides, how do I even know that those results are even true? You could've made them up for all I know."

Solar spun around, giving the girl a glare.

"I would _never_ lie about this," she insisted. "And you must know I'm not lying. You must have noticed the similarities between us. Our hair and eye color is the same, our builds are similar, and of course we share the same metagene."

Felicity had no immediate response to that. True, she had noticed the resemblance but had thought nothing of it. She had been too focused on trying to save Lancet and Shade when she was battled against the older metahuman. They had the same Searing Ray and ability to fly. What else did they have in common?

"I noticed when I first saw you, and I had prayed that maybe you _were_ my daughter," Solar continued. "But I couldn't get my hopes up too much until I had proof."

Brightside just shook her head again. "Even _if_ it was true, why would it matter now?"

"Think about it, Felicity, about what I can offer you. You can finally have a mother that cares about you. And yes," Solar began, stopping Felicity from speaking again when she opened her mouth. "I know _all_ about what kind of woman Samantha is. She is no mother, not to you. I can provide you with that."

The young woman said nothing.

"Even more than that, I can offer you training," she proposed. She placed her hands on Felicity's shoulders. "I saw that you have some skill with your powers, but you are still rough around the edges. I can teach you everything I know."

It was of course a tempting offer. If there was one thing that Felicity wanted, it was someone who could guide her in how to use her superpowers. It was one thing to train with Olivia or Jun, but neither of them had any idea how her powers worked…honestly, _Felicity_ wasn't even sure how her powers works. She had always assumed that her powers originated from a metagene, but only now did she have confirmation of that fact.

"We can be a family, mother and daughter," Solar backed up again, releasing her grip on Felicity's shoulders. "The way it should have been from the start."

_Mother and daughter…_

Felicity shook her head harder and raised her gaze to scowl at her mother. What was she thinking? She was not about to join someone who worked with Avatar, the man who was kidnapping heroes and trying to steal their powers! She wasn't sure if she was hero material, but she knew for certain that she was _not_ a villain!

"No."

Solar stilled in her motion to return to the computer. She looked over her shoulder at the young woman in the chair.

"What was that?"

"I said no," Brightside repeated. "I'm not interested."

She could have sworn that Solar wanted to laugh. "Do you believe you have a choice?"

"What?"

"Shall I remind you where you are?" Solar voiced. "Your powers are blocked by that inhibitor collar. Your comrades are being held prisoner right now, with their own powers blocked. And right now, I have you trapped here with me. If I were you, I would try to get on my good side."

Solar turned away again, opening a drawer and fiddling with some of the items inside. Felicity couldn't tell what, but she didn't really care. She was now almost fuming with anger.

"I don't want to have to threaten your friends, Felicity," the older woman continued. "But if it makes you listen, I will do what I have to."

The blackmail could not be more blatant. Felicity knew that her teammates were being kept in the LexCorp building somewhere, but she had no idea specifically where. What was stopping Solar from telling them of their connection? Even worse, shat was stopping Solar from killing them to get her to cooperate?

_Damn it, Dad! Why didn't you tell me about this?! _She thought, lightly shaking the metal restraints on her wrists. _I've _got_ to get out of this. How can I get her to let me go? I need a distraction or something. Something that would convince her to unlock this chair…_

With her thoughts still on her father and how angry she was that he had kept this a secret from her, Felicity thought back on some of discussions she and her father had shared over time. Although he was bound to a confidentiality oath as a doctor, he still liked to talk about the various symptoms of the more common medical conditions he saw on a regular basis while he worked at the hospital.

_**"There are some medical emergencies where CPR is just not enough," Anthony told his then fourteen-year-old daughter. "CPR wouldn't do much for something like a seizure, for example."**_

"_**A seizure?" Felicity asked.**_

"_**It's a neurologic disorder, where the electrical activity in the nerves in the brain becomes abnormal," her father explained. "It first causes loss of consciousness, sudden contraction of muscles, and convulsing. It's not a condition that can be helped by CPR."**_

"_**So you wouldn't bother with it?" she inquired.**_

"_**No," Anthony replied. "If you ever see anyone having a seizure, call an ambulance immediately. Roll the person onto their side, loosen or remove anything from their neck so they can still breathe, and do not try to restrain them. That will just make it worse."**_

_Loss of consciousness, sudden contraction of muscles, and convulsing_, Felicity repeated in her head. _And do not try to restrain them. That's it._

"First, I will need to finish processing your information," Solar went on. "Avatar will want it. He will understand why your powers should not be transferred, and will allow me to begin training you. If you agree, I will try my hardest to keep him from killing your friends. In the meantime, you can tell me about—"

Solar immediately stopped her speech when she turned again to see Brightside just staring out into open space, her eyes appearing to glaze over. She started trembling, her whole body shaking like a leaf.

"Felicity?" she called to her. The girl just started shaking harder, spreading from her head down to her feet. Solar put her hands back on her daughter's shoulders. "Felicity? What is it? Are you all right?!"

Brightside kept shaking, and Solar's anxiety began to rise. Her eyes beneath her goggles widened. She quickly ran to a drawer at the computer and pulled out a key.

"Hold on, Felicity. Take deep breaths," Solar said, unlocking the restraints and pulling the young woman out of the chair. She slowly lowered her to the floor and set her on her side. Felicity continued to shake, her muscles alternating between contracting and relaxing. "Oh god, my daughter has epilepsy. I don't know if you can hear me, but try and relax. I'll call for help."

Solar turned her back on the younger woman, grabbing a cell phone off the counter by the computer. She started rapidly dialing a number when she found herself knocked to the side, her head crashing into the edge of the keyboard. Solar looked up to see Brightside standing above her, with no apparent ill effects from her seizing. Solar jumped up again and grabbed Brightside by the arms, but the girl forced her back again with a few fortunately aimed punches to the abdomen and shoulders. Solar leapt forward again and gave a kick to her daughter, forcing her backwards against the wall.

Felicity found herself pressed against the window leading outside, one of Solar's arms against her throat, firm enough to keep her in place but not so much that it choked her.

"You tricked me," Solar accused, her voice back to its normal tone and volume. "I trusted you."

"For a split second," Brightside argued snidely. "You should've known better. You don't know me after all."

"I was foolish to fall for such a trick," Solar admitted. Brightside noticed that she turned her head just slightly, as if looking behind her at the wall instead of at her. "But I won't fall for another."

She quickly raised her other fist, smacking her knuckles into the face of a young, black-haired, Chinese boy. He flipped backwards, landing on the balls of his feet. The distraction gave Felicity enough time to punch Solar in the back of the head, forcing the woman to release her. Solar took to the air, weaving around the plants hanging from the ceiling. She fired a few rays at the Chinese boy, a few of which he managed to dodge while two managed to hit him, once in the chest and another in his left leg. His Changshan was burned, but his skin underneath was unharmed.

Brightside was surprised, and wondered if he had some kind of invulnerability. She had never seen his young man before, but if he was going to help her fight Solar she wasn't going to complain.

Her biggest problem of course was that inhibitor collar that was still around her neck. Solar had full access to her own powers, while Felicity was out of luck as far as flight, shields and Searing Rays were concerned.

The black-haired boy leapt up, tackling Solar from behind and pinning her to the ground. She performed a spinning kick underneath him, throwing him off her body and into the thick glass window near the corner. She then turned her attention back to Brightside, grabbing her again and throwing her across the room. Brightside was pinned to the desk with the computer keyboard embedded on it, her spine twisting backwards and her arms pinned to her sides.

"You should not have tried that, Felicity," Solar hissed. "I offered you everything. And I don't want to have to beat common sense into you."

_If only I didn't have this collar on, I might stand a chance, _Brightside gave out a gasp, trying to focus. _How can I fight without my powers?_

"_**You can't depend on your powers completely," Jun's voice rang through her head.**_

Brightside's eyes widened. She looked around with her eyes, not moving her head. She recognized this spot, this position. It was the same as her training session with Jun. That was it!

"_**First, I twist my ankle around my opponent's knee."**_

Felicity hooked her right ankle around Solar's left knee and pulled a little. Solar's glare softened a little.

"_**Then I make a jab at the spot where the spine meets the pelvis, like this."**_

As quickly as she could, the blonde shot her fist into the top of Solar's pelvis, right at the level of her sacral vertebrae. The pain caused Solar to lean her head forward and release one of Brightside's arms.

"_**Now that my opponent's head is closer, I can hit a pressure point on the neck here."**_

Felicity jabbed her thumb into the same spot as Jun had instructed her.

"_**And that puts enough shock to the system – when I'm doing it right – to drop my opponent to the ground."**_

Solar's body froze, seizing up. Her grip on Brightside loosened entirely and she fell backwards, landing on her back. She was completely unconscious, her eyes lightly closed.

Felicity took a deep breath and scratched at the skin underneath the inhibitor collar. Her head snapped up at movement that she saw out of the corner of her eye. The Chinese boy was standing up and walking towards her, smiling quietly. She stood her ground, but still a little nervous at the sight of this young man.

"Are you all right?" he inquired.

"I'm fine," Brightside answered cautiously. "Who are you?"

"My name's Striker," the young man introduced. "It's okay, you can trust me. I'm friends with Haunt, Lancet and Shade."

"Haunt, Lancet and Shade?" she repeated, her eyes widening ever so slightly. "Are they all right?"

"Yes, they're fine," Striker informed her. "Haunt went after The Collector, Lancet went to go rescue another friend – Blue Gentleman, I think? – and Shade is helping some prisoners get out of this building. Lancet asked me to find you. We are to meet them outside, where you have something called the _Goliath_?"

"Yeah, it's a plane," Brightside voiced, scratching at the collar again. "If they trust you, I guess I trust you too."

"Here, let me take care of that," he offered.

Brightside was a little unsure as he slipped his fingers between the collar and her skin. He focused for a minute before snapping the collar off of her. Instantly she felt the sunlight flowing through her body again, which was a huge relief. Odd…a few years ago she would have been happy to have her powers gone. Now, Felicity couldn't imagine what it would be like to not have them.

"Thanks," she said. "We should meet with the others."

"Should we do anything about her?" the Chinese boy asked, gesturing to Solar who was still passed out on the floor.

Felicity stared at the woman who claimed to be her mother. Sure the similarities were striking, but could she really take the word of this woman? If she was lying, she was obvious very good at acting and fabricating evidence, even to the point of faking DNA evidence. If she was telling the truth, then her mother really was alive and on the enemy's side, which added a whole new set of complications to her life. Either way, the whole thing was trouble.

_I can't deal with it now. I have other things to worry about,_ she decided, before speaking out loud. "Just leave her there. We have to get out of here."

"I agree," Striker said, not debating the point. "Let's go."

* * *

Using his minor invisibility to remain undetected, Haunt had initially started by going upstairs from the prison chamber, hoping to come across The Collector around the meeting room. He had absolutely no luck as far as that is concerned, but he did come across a few security guards. He quickly knocked out three of them and produced a very small Panic Wail that made the fourth one collapse. Kieran pulled the man up by the front of his uniform and demanded to know where The Collector was. After being told that the villain was working in one of the lower labs, the white-haired young man knocked the still conscious man out and hid the four inside one of the offices. He knew that it wasn't the best hiding place for a few unconscious bodies, but at least they weren't all just lying in the hallway.

The lab that The Collector was working in was on one of the much lower floors. In a building that was just short of one hundred stories tall, Kieran thought it was a little odd that there would be a working lab on the tenth floor, and even odder that The Collector would be working in such a lab. Of course, once Haunt arrived at the location he learned that it was less of a lab and more of a storage area, filled with electrical wirings and various types of batteries. Being electrokinetic, it was natural that The Collector would be tinkering around with different ways to store his electrical energy.

When Haunt entered the room, The Collector had his back to the door. He was transferring some of his electricity into a few car batteries. Each of the black boxes sparked with power once he was finished with them. He was obviously building up a supply of electrical power so he wouldn't have to keep producing it from his own body.

He paused in his actions when he heard the door open and close. He slowly turned to see Haunt, who had turned off his invisibility and was glaring at him from the doorway. He gave out a humph.

"I should have known that you would find a way to escape," The Collector snarled. "You have a bad habit of doing that."

"I'm like Houdini," Haunt replied, his tone deadpanned.

The Collector slowly stood from his kneeling position and turned around to face the younger man.

"I may have stored most of my electricity into these batteries for now," he mocked. "But that doesn't mean I can't give you the shock of your life."

"Don't go easy on me," Kieran hissed. "I want every reason to kill you that I can get."

With that statement, the two launched themselves at each other.

* * *

Warm. Jun was very warm, and comfortable. His body was leaning against something firm but soothing. Everything was just fine, and he was sure he could easily fall asleep again if he wanted to. His head was fuzzy and he wasn't focusing very well, but for some reason that didn't bother him at all.

_Hmm, hope my alarm doesn't go off soon,_ he mused. _I don't want to go to school today._

_School will be the least of your worries,_ Zarcen debated.

_Zarcen? What?_

_Open your eyes, Jun,_ the alien commanded.

_Hmm, what?_

_You have to wake up now!_

Still feeling rather groggy, Jun slowly obeyed. His vision was filled with shining gold and purple, reminding him of a knight's armor. He lifted his head to meet a pair of light blue eyes. Jun blinked a few times. He realized that he had his arms wrapped around Olivia's waist, and she in turn had hers around his shoulders. She gave him a quiet smile.

"You back with us, BG?" she asked.

Jun gentle shook his head in order to clear it. He swallowed a few times, trying to get the stale taste out of his mouth.

"Where are we?" he inquired, not answering her question.

"Bathroom in LexCorp," Olivia explained. "Not a very glamorous hiding place, but it's worked so far. Are you okay?"

"I…think so," Jun replied, rubbing his forehead. He searched his brain for what had brought him to this situation to begin with. "What happened? I remember…Blood Zero was talking to me and…Wait! He was—"

"Jun!" Lancet hissed, shaking his shoulders a little in order to get him to focus. "Deep breaths okay? I don't want you having another panic attack!"

"…Yeah, panic attack," he echoed. "That's what happened. I blacked out."

_I was able to lead Olivia to our location,_ Zarcen described. _We were able to defeat Blood Zero and Olivia freed us. She's been watching over you ever since._

Jun had to pause at that, both because he was shocked that Olivia had faced Blood Zero by herself and because she had stayed by his side while he recovered.

"Zarcen says you took on Blood Zero by yourself?" the boy wondered.

"Well, kind of," she said. "Zarcen helped me out. He telepathically spoke to me and told me where you were. He also helped me fight Blood Zero with that telekinesis of yours."

"Zarcen…hates speaking to other people…"

_I made an exception for this,_ Zarcen added.

Jun carefully moved to stand up, his mind more clear now and able to think. Lancet stepped back just enough to give him space but still in range to catch him if he fell again. Blue Gentleman looked down at his clothing; he recalled that Blood Zero had been soaking him in the blood of his victims, each time he…Jun forced his mind elsewhere.

"What happened to my jacket?"

Olivia looked both sheepish and squeamish at the same time.

"It was covered in blood. Blood Zero ruined it," she explained. "All of you was covered in blood actually. I cleaned you up as best as I could, but I figured that you wouldn't want it anymore."

"Yeah, you're right," Jun agreed. "I have others anyway."

"I, uh, managed to save your hat though," Olivia voiced, passing the young man his top hat which was still in good condition. "And I think these are yours."

She pulled his Eskrima sticks off from the sink counter and tossed them to him. He easily caught them in mid-air, twirling them around in each hand before sliding them onto his belt. He smiled.

"Let me open up a mind-link," he said. It didn't take long for his concentration to open the link. **"Can you hear me?"**

"**I can,"** Lancet replied. **"Anyone else there?"**

"**Jun? Olivia?"** the mind-voice of Felicity said. **"Am I glad to hear you! Are you guys okay?"**

"**We're fine,"** Olivia told her. **"Jun is back in the game. Did Striker find you?"**

"**He did. We're heading to the bottom floor now," **the blonde confirmed. **"Speaking of which, guess what guys?"**

"**What?" **Olivia asked.

"**That training we've done, and that move you showed be earlier, Jun?"** Felicity listed. **"I got to use it!"**

"**Really?"** Jun inquired. **"You took someone out?"**

"**That's right!"** Brightside responded smugly.

"**Good on ya!"** Olivia congratulated her. Jun and Zarcen mentally smiled.

"**Haunt? Shade?"** Jun called out. **"Can either of you hear me?"**

"**I can. I'm a little busy right now,"** Haunt answered. **"I'll meet you outside. Get to the plane!"**

"**On it!" ** Olivia stated.

She and Jun headed for the exit to the bathroom, and she led Blue Gentleman to the elevator. There were two guards inside, and they yelled out in shock when they saw the two young heroes.

"What the—"

They were cut off by the attack from Lancet's spear and a slam from Blue Gentleman's telekinesis. Unconsciousness soon claimed them, and Lancet gave a huff as she and her companion shoved them out of the elevator.

"**Has anyone heard from Shade?" **she inquired.

"**I can't reach him,"** Blue Gentleman reported as the elevator door closed. **"He's probably out of range."**

"**He was getting the prisoners out," **Lancet told him. **"We can probably meet him downstairs."**

"**We'll all meet downstairs,"** Brightside thought-spoke.

Blue Gentleman took out his Eskrima sticks and spun them around again. He performed a few kicks into air, stretching his body in preparation for battle.

"Looks like you're finally getting your head back together again," Olivia observed with a smile. "You back with us?"

"Getting there," he responded, replacing the sticks at his belt. "But my head is killing me. Blood Zero's torture really got me off track."

There was a pause.

"Jun," Olivia declared. He turned to her, taking in her serious face and the most resolute tone he had ever heard. "I will _never_ let something like that happen to you again."

Blue Gentleman just blinked as she turned to face the elevator door, her spear at the ready, waiting for it to reach the ground floor.

* * *

Striker jumped down the last flight of stairs, finally catching up with Brightside, who had stopped at the door leading from the stairway to the main lobby on the bottom floor of LexCorp. They had decided to take the stairs in lieu of using the elevator just in case more guards decided to try the elevator instead. It was easier for them to see a foe coming from the stairs.

With his high endurance, Striker was able to jump the stairs of such a skyscraper fairly easily. However, he still could not keep up with Brightside, who didn't even bother with the steps and resorted to flying down the passage instead. She easily overcame him, but she did wait for him at the bottom of the stairway.

The LexCorp lobby was a sight to behold. There was expensive, light brown tile lining the floor in an intricate spiral design. There were two large desks near the back, one labeled as the "Welcome" desk and the other as the "Information" desk. Each desk had two large computers for each seat. There were cushioned chairs set around a few small coffee tables for people to sit at while they waited. Large glass vases holding various types of exotic plants that Wei did not recognize in the slightest were in each corner of the room, and abstract paintings that must have cost a fortune hung on the walls. Two curved staircases led to a glass balcony that looked over the entire lobby, circling around the perimeter. There were no windows on the bottom level, but there were a few on the second floor, including ones that that looked in on offices in the next rooms over. Above the room on the ceiling was a large, elaborate crystal chandelier. On the far side of the room was a set of huge, glass rotating doors leading outside.

Felicity turned to Wei.

"Nobody inside," she reported. "Let's get moving."

"Wait a minute," Striker suggested. "Let's make sure no one comes in, and we should wait for the others as well."

The pair stayed at the stairway entrance for little bit, waiting and watching for anyone to enter or exit the building through either the main doorway or through one of the many offshoot doors. They waited approximately sixteen minutes before the ding of the elevator went off. Brightside and Striker waited until they saw Lancet leap into sight, and Blue Gentleman was not far behind her. Lancet looked to be on edge, with the strong grip she had on her spear.

"Lancet, Blue Gentleman," Brightside called out quietly. The two in question quickly turned in her direction, but relaxed when they saw who it was. "You're okay…I think? Blue, you don't look so good. You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Jun replied. He turned his attention to Wei, who had moved out of his hiding place as well. "Who're you?"

"Blue Gentleman, this is Striker," Lancet informed him. "Striker, Blue Gentleman. We can have more formal introductions later. Right now, we need to get out of here."

"Where's Haunt?" Brightside asked. **"Haunt, are you coming?"**

"**I'm on my way!"** Kieran replied. **"Keep moving!"**

"You heard him," Lancet ordered, pointing to the double doors on the far side of the room. "Get to the exit!"

The four young heroes rushed towards building entrance. Just as they were a few meters away, a number of guards burst in. About twenty soldiers carrying blaster pistols blocked their path and aimed their weapons at the four. The group stopped and moved into battle position, more than ready to fight their way out if necessary. They were stopped by a voice from above them.

"Escape will not be that easy," she said. Their gaze rose up to see Chollima and Golem waiting on a balcony above the doorway. The women stood out in her white taekwondo ensemble compared to the darkened room surrounding them. Golem could also easily be seen in his light blue outfit. "You have the opportunity to surrender now. I suggest you take it."

Lancet looked around at her allies. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not going down without a fight."

"Got that right," Brightside agreed. Striker stood at the ready, and Blue Gentleman swung his Eskrima sticks into position.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Golem snapped as he and Chollima jumped down from the balcony to the Team's level. "I've a lot of tension to relieve. I'll feel much better after busting a few of your heads."

"Remember Avatar's orders, Golem," Chollima proclaimed. "We are to subdue only. Do not kill them."

Golem gave out a groan of irritation. "Fine, Chollima."

The man rushed to the wall, placing a hand on the white cement. In an event identical to the battle at the Empire State Building, part of the wall started to glow bright orange. It sprung up from the wall, reaching out towards Golem.

"Going to make another construct to fight us?" Brightside wondered.

"Not exactly. I've had enough of leaving the fights to lackeys," Golem declared. The concrete blending around him as if it were water. "Time for me to bring the fight to you personally."

The concrete began to attach itself to Golem in slabs, forming solid armor over his blue bracers and chest plate. It extended his arms and legs, forming larger and longer limbs, lifting him up and creating a larger form. The completed construct was about twenty feet tall, with Golem himself being in the center of it. The man snarled at the Team, ready inside his cement armor.

"Oh boy," Blue Gentleman said.

"I've got Chollima," Lancet commanded. "Striker, you said you can smash boulders? Is concrete also in that category?"

"Of course it is," Striker replied. "Leave Golem to me."

Lancet did not wait for another minute. She launched herself at Chollima, taking the unarmed woman into combat by immediately striking her with her spear. Chollima blocked each attack with her forearms. It surprised Olivia quite a bit that she could handle a hit from her cybernetic spear like that. Perhaps she had some sort of superstrengh?

While Blue Gentleman was busy using his telekinesis to fight against the guards with the guns (all the while trying to not panic at the sight of all the guns), Lancet continued to exchange blows with Chollima. The Scottish girl took a few punches from the young Korean woman, although most of the attacks hit her on her shoulder armor or arm bracers. It was obvious that Chollima was limiting her attacks to make them non-lethal, even to the point of being non-damaging.

"You're going easy on me, aren't you?" she questioned.

"You have plenty of skill with your spear, but I do not believe you are using your full potential," Chollima explained. "I'm waiting for you to do something else."

"Like what exactly?" Lancet replied with another smack of her spear and a kick of her right leg.

"A special ability of some kind," she answered, dodging the attacks. "Like your friends have. An elemental power, or flight, or superspeed. Anything like that."

"Well, you're out of luck then," Olivia told her. She brought her spear down again. "I don't have any powers."

Chollima jumped back and paused, suddenly appearing unsure as she took in her opponent. She ducked without looking as Jun sent one of the guards over her head and into the wall.

"No powers?" Chollima echoed. She seemed genuinely stunned. "And you still fight?"

"Of course," Lancet replied. "Why would not having superpowers stop me?"

Chollima gave a strong kick towards Lancet again, who managed to dodge it as well.

"Most heroes have powers is all," she described. "I have not met many who do not. How can you fight as you do without any powers?"

"I hear those are optional," Olivia said smugly, blocking one of Chollima's punches with her spear. "Haven't you heard of Batman or the Archers?"

"Of course I have," Chollima said, sounding a little irritated. "I myself do not have powers. …You are part of the new team for the Justice League, aren't you?"

"That's right," Lancet confirmed. She had no reason to hide that fact.

"…You have no powers," the older woman echoed. "And they still let you join?"

"Yeah," Olivia said. She swung the sharp end of her spear at Chollima again, but missed. "They asked me to join, and so I did."

"_Why_?"

"I have my reasons."

"No, I mean," Chollima clarified, catching Lancet's spear in her hands. "_Why_ did they let you join? Why _you_ of all people?"

Lancet gave out a chuckle. "I proved myself to them somehow, I guess."

Chollima frowned, not quite glaring but certainly unhappy with this particular news. The reason for this was completely lost on Lancet. Chollima was about to toss Olivia away by her spear when she paused. Instead, she partly turned to parry an attack from Blue Gentleman using one of his Eskrima sticks. Lancet couldn't help but smile.

_She can go easy on me if she wants,_ she thought. _Let's see how well she does against two of us._

On the other side of the room, Brightside and Striker were dealing with more of the guards as well as an armored Golem. The blonde villain was slamming his cement limbs into the walls, floor, and parts of the upper balcony that he could reach, sending tile, glass, more concrete and other debris flying all around. Some of the costly wood frames holding the paintings splintered apart on contact with the ground. Golem was taking every occasion to destroy as much of the lobby as possible, taking no care into how much it would cost Luthor to repair it.

Striker, on the other hand, seemed to be pulling his punches at the start, but as he began to understand just how strong Golem's concrete manipulations were he realized that he would have to put more power into his attacks.

Normally, his palm strikes would be enough to shatter stone with the help of his Chi manipulation, but it seemed like Golem had also reinforced his armor with some of the metal support from the walls as well as the concrete. He knew this from the metal riggings he found after he had kicked a large slab off of Golem's artificial leg. With this extra strength to it, Golem's armor was a bit more than what his Chi ability could destroy.

Wei put a hand on the sake gourd tied to his belt. There was the option of his drunken Kenpo. That would strengthen his power, easily to the point where he could smash that concrete and metal armor into pieces.

_No, not yet. That's part of what led me into this in the first place,_ he thought with a sigh. _I can't lose myself like that right now. I must focus more._

Striker jumped out of the way as Golem slammed a cement-covered fist into the ground, leaving a large crater in the tile. The Chinese boy had managed to avoid that attack, but he was taken by surprise by the blasts from a few of the security guards. As he turned to try and either dodge them or block them with his Chi-enhanced strength, Wei found himself suddenly surrounded by a shimmering shield made up of many colors. The blasts were quickly stopped in their tracks, dropping to the ground just as they lost their momentum against the shield. Striker looked up to see Brightside flying just above his head, her hand raised above her head. The shield dissipated as she lowered it.

"Thank you," he said with a grin.

"Hey, I owed you one," Brightside returned, taking to the air again and shooting a few Searing Rays at the remaining guards.

With that distraction out of the way, Striker leapt onto Golem's shoulders until he was level with Golem's face. The blonde man glared at him.

"Get off!" He demanded.

Golem swung his opposite arm in an attempt to knock him away. Striker was prepared for this, however, as he continued to focus his Chi into flowing through his body, channeling it into one hand. Just as Golem's concrete fist reached him, Striker returned the attack with his own palm strike. The false fist shattered on impact, breaking off the rest of the armor and exposing Golem's real arm underneath. Striker then flat-palmed the opposite prosthetic arm at his feet, causing it to break apart as well. Wei jumped down from his position just before he lost his footing.

With Golem's upper armor completely destroyed, Brightside took the opportunity to send a Searing Ray in his direction, hitting him straight in his chest. This part of his armor was still his normal metal plate, so it didn't harm him too terribly. It was enough to knock him off his feet and into the wall. He fell backwards, landing on his rear and raising his concrete legs upwards. Seeing his change to strike, Wei rushed forward and performed two jump kicks, one to each foot. The concrete appendages broke apart just as quickly as they were put together. Golem was left on his own now.

"Now's my chance!" Brightside proclaimed, flying towards him and shooting another Ray at him.

Golem gave out a groan as the attack further slammed him into the remaining wall. "Irritating brat!"

"I'll show you brat!" Felicity declared, another Ray being part of her response.

Golem raised his hands, effectively catching the Searing Ray in his palms. Brightside watched as he molded her own sunlight into a small creature construct in the form of a large leopard. It looked like it was made out of yellow stained glass, with its internal organs clearly visible from the outside.

The sunlight golem gave out a roar before leaping forward towards Striker. He was knocked off his feet, and then the leopard headed for Blue Gentleman and Lancet, who were fighting Chollima from both sides. The construct pushed the two of them off the Korean woman, allowing her to escape to the balcony above.

As the large sunlight cat ran about, tearing at their skin and costumes with its long claws, Golem just smirked. He was obviously amused at the prospect of using Brightside's own power against her and her companions.

"Just goes to show," he mocked. "Sunlight can be a powerful ally, or a destructive foe."

As Golem was about to continue his taunting, the lights remaining in the building all of the sudden shut off, leaving everyone in the lobby in almost complete darkness. The only light that remained was from the street lights, stars and moon outside as well as the light leopard. Golem's head snapped around, both curious about what was going on and furious that whatever it is was even happening. Shadows began to rise up the walls, and then began to seep into the very air itself. The leopard growled in annoyance and fear as the shadows covered over it, swallowing the construct whole. It gave out one last roar as its light was permanently burnt out.

Golem's mouth hung open as his construct disappeared. "What the hell?!"

From one of the remaining shadows came the form of a teenager, sporting black dreadlocks and a black bodysuit. Shade gave the blonde villain a cocky smile.

"Sunlight can be powerful, but it can still drown in darkness!" he exclaimed. He turned to the others, who had perplexed expressions on their faces. His smile dropped a little. "Oh come on, that sounded epic!"

Lancet just shook her head and brought out Shade's belt she had picked up from the weapon's storage earlier. She quickly tossed it to him. "Here, Shade, this is yours."

Shade easily caught the belt and swung it over his shoulder and across his chest. He gave her a wink and a thumb up before facing Golem again. The young African-American lunged forward, sending a kick straight into his enemy's groin. Golem stumbled back a little before raising his arms to block Shade's various martial arts kicks and punches. The villain was easily outmatched by the young man's skill, and he soon found himself trapped against the wall, his face and body battered and bruised. He looked up as Shade pulled out a pair of throwing stars and tossed them towards Golem, each one landing on either side of his head. Golem let out one last groan before fainting.

"Shade," Brightside called. He turned to her. "You are a sight for sore eyes."

"Well, _someone_ has to save you all," he said, hands on his hips. "What would you guys do without me?"

Chollima, who was still watching from the balcony above, jumped down from her position as Golem closed his eyes. Shade backed up as she rushed over to Golem's prone body, trying to shake him awake. The man was out cold, however, and she resorted to placing herself between Golem and her foes. She looked around to see all of the guards that had previously been with her were also knocked out. Chollima slowly closed and opened her eyes, clearly aware that she outnumbered.

"Last chance, Chollima," Lancet threatened. "Let us pass or we'll go through you."

"I will not," Chollima answered. "There is no honor is simple surrender."

"There is also no honor is being stubborn," Striker argued. "Please stand down now."

"Listen to them, Chollima," a new voice ordered. The New Team turned around to see Avatar standing on top of the "Welcome" desk, in all his brown glory. "Take Golem and retreat for now."

"Are you sure, Avatar?" Chollima asked, her tone both worried and doubtful.

"Yes," he insisted. He pulled off his trench coat and scarf, revealing deep black, modern body armor that matched his pistols at his waist. "I will see what these children are made of."

"As you command," Chollima conceded. She picked up Golem's body, tossed him over her shoulder and ran around the group towards the elevator. She looked up and nodded to Avatar as the door closed.

Avatar returned his attention to the New Team. He plucked his pistols from his waist and spun them around in his hands a few times. Oddly, once he stopped the spinning he then tossed them aside, the pistols clattering to the ground.

"I want to test your true potential personally," Avatar announced. "I do not need any firearms."

"Oh, thank goodness," Blue Gentleman sighed, forcing his body to stop shaking at the sight of the pistols.

"You can't handle blood. You can't handle guns," Brightside listed to the Japanese boy. "Any other phobias we should know about?"

"Not now, Brightside," Lancet directed.

"At me, now," Avatar demanded.

The villain jumped towards Brightside, who happened to be the person closest to him. The blonde dodged out of the way, taking to the air to avoid his attacks. Striker moved to punch the man, but Avatar simply grabbed his bare arm. Wei felt a small shock run through his body before Avatar flung him across the room. The young Chinese man shook his head after he landed. That strength…Avatar had superstrengh?

Jun and Olivia both attacked him with their respective weapons. Avatar grabbed the end of Lancet's spear and Blue Gentleman's one Eskrima sticks, pulling the two together and slamming their heads into one another. He then grabbed Jun by the neck; he felt the same kind of spark from the touch before being lifted up by a force of telekinesis and tossed into one of the giant plant vase, soil spilling all over him.

_Uh, what on earth…?_ Jun groaned internally. _Zarcen, can you tell how he did that?_

_His mind has a block to it,_ Zarcen explained. _Which is odd, because it wasn't there a moment ago._

_Oh great,_ Jun thought. _This guy is strong enough to throw Striker, but also has telekinesis? What_ else_ can he do?_

Lancet recovered from her head smash with Jun and rubbed her sore temples. She grabbed her spear again and aimed for her enemy at the unprotected juncture between his back and his shoulder. Avatar looked at her over his shoulder before grabbing her with telekinesis again, bringing her to him and holding her up by her neck. He grabbed her throat and squeezed just a little. A moment passed, and he frowned.

"You do not have any powers," he observed. "You have nothing that I can mimic."

"Mimic?" she repeated. "What—"

Avatar responded to her questions by tossing her away as if she was a ragdoll. He turned his attention to Brightside, who had fired a Searing Ray towards him. He jumped into the air to avoid the attack, using telekinesis to levitate himself up to the flying young woman. He struck her in the chest, followed by slamming his palm into her face. Her body shook slightly with a shock before he threw her towards the ground. He shot a beam of yellow light at her, forcing her down to the tiled floor faster than if she had just fallen. She cried out in pain as her head smacked against the hard ground.

Shade, who had rushed to Felicity's side when she landed, looked up at Avatar as he flew above the group. He threw a pair of shuriken at him; both weapons landed right on his body armor strapped to his chest, but did not seem to cause him any damage. Avatar shot another beam at the boy, forcing him to slide across the floor and burning him badly in the areas where his skin was exposed. He then flew down and delivered another punch to Striker, who had leapt away from the wall in an attempt to tackle him to the ground. With another touch to Wei's head, he shocked the young man and then landed a palm strike to his abdomen, effectively knocking the wind out of him. Lancet jumped between them, blocking Avatar's next attack with her spear.

Felicity grabbed Jun's hand when he offered it to her as he helped her to stand again. She looked at him, worried.

"This…is impossible," she gasped.

"I know," Blue Gentleman agreed. "How can we fight a guy like this?"

"We need to think of another plan…"

* * *

Haunt was exhausted to say the least.

He had chased, fought and smashed The Collector through seven building floors. The Collector had plenty of training (most of it self-taught, Kieran assumed), and that combined with his electrokinesis made him a very dangerous foe. He also took it upon himself to taunt Kieran about the death of his father and the capture of his brother whenever he had an opening to do so.

His power over electricity could only be used when in contact with another person or thing; however, this was still a problem because Haunt had no long-range abilities other than his Panic Wail. Kieran was tempted to use it this time around, but was waiting for a good opportunity to do so. Until then, he had to make due with keeping his distance or tolerating electrical shocks as much as he could.

His latest attack sent The Collector careening into a wall, the sound of the white concrete cracking running through his ears. His black armor protected him from being too harmed, and he laughed as he regained his composure.

"I was right the first time," he stated. "You would have made a nice trophy."

Kieran responded by tackling him again. The two rolled on the ground, causing their heads to spin, each one trying to pin the other to the floor. The two eventually ended up at an impasse. The Collector had his back against a wall with windows above it leading to the lobby. Haunt managed to get his hands around his opponent's neck, while The Collector had a fierce grip on Kieran's hair. The older man grinned menacingly.

"If you use that Panic Wail of yours, I'll shock your brain out of your head!"

"If you shock me, I'll return the favor with a Pain Transfer!"

The Collector simply pulled back his fist and cuffed Kieran in the face. Haunt released his hold on his enemy's neck, his vision blurring for a split second. He pulled back and blinked the black spots away.

"Don't worry, I don't really intend to kill you," The Collector taunted. "That would take all the fun out of everything."

Haunt wiped off the blood from his split lip.

"Think about it. I'm going to get your brother to cooperate with me, sooner or later," the older man pursued. "I'll make him my perfect little warrior, and the next time you see him he'll be at my side, ready to fight for me and defend me to his last breath."

Kieran felt his face and ears overheat as he gasped for breath, both from the fight and from the rage he felt.

"_That _will be your greatest failing," he continued, his arms crossed over his puffed up chest. "Your brother will be the one to kill you, and you'll have no one to blame but yourself."

Haunt was completely unaware of what happened next. The only things that registered to him were the sound of glass shattering and the sting of lacerations on his face, neck and arms. The next thing he knew he had The Collector flat on his back. It took a minute for him to realize that he had tackled The Collector again and knocked him through the windows. They had landed on one of the balconies inside the lobby.

He was more than ready to continue his beat down on his nemesis when he was slightly distracted by a body flying above the balcony and over their heads. Haunt looked up to see Blue Gentleman crash on the other side of the balcony, closer to the broken windows.

"Blue? Wha—ah!" Kieran called out before being stopped by an unseen punch from The Collector. He was knocked off his opponent and towards the railing of the balcony.

The Asian boy groaned, holding his head as he stood again. He quickly spotted Haunt and The Collector facing off from one another. Kieran had a bleeding lip as well as multiple cuts on his exposed skin. The Collector looked less injured, but his armor had certainly taken a beating, having been dented and bashed in a number of places. He glanced between the two.

"Haunt! It's Avatar!" he called out from his kneeling position by the wall. He pointed towards the edge of the balcony, where the main part of the lobby was. "We need help! Now!"

Kieran glanced at him briefly before looking back at The Collector. The man in black armor jumped backwards towards one of the larger windows. Just as he was about to exit through the window, The Collector turned back to face Haunt.

"Go help your friends, or you can chase after me," he mocked. "Choices, choices. Until next time, _Kieran_."

The Collector leapt out of the open window. Jun watched as Kieran stared at the window, his eyes narrowed in anger. He let out a growl and cursed, turning to jump off the balcony.

"Come on, Blue," he hissed with the jump. "Back to the others."

Blue Gentleman flew off to follow him.

* * *

Wei swallowed the blood and sweat in his mouth as he watched Blue Gentleman be thrown across the lobby by Avatar, who had begun to display umbrakinesis. He was throwing shadows left and right, knocking both Lancet and Brightside into one of the glass vases. The two just managed to avoid the exotic tree that had come falling down on top of them. Zyon limped up to Wei, his body still sore from the time he was kicked into one of the circular stairways. Lancet brushed the smashed glass off her body before helping Brightside stand again.

"Okay, at what point," Shade wondered, gasping. "Did we lose control here?"

"Anyone have any ideas?" Brightside asked.

Any suggestions that someone may have had were forgotten as Haunt showed up, planted a strong jump kick to Avatar's face. It ripped a piece of his domino mask off, though not enough to reveal his identity. He swung a punch into the man's abdomen which, and although it did not cause a lot of damage to his body armor, Avatar still moved away in surprise.

Haunt and Blue Gentleman joined the others as Avatar stood back. He gave a smirk to the group.

"All together at last," Avatar stated. "Do you need a minute to plan your attack? That's fine. I can wait."

Avatar crossed his arms over his chest and turned away, giving the illusion of privacy to the New Team. Haunt cocked his head. Well, he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"**Okay everyone,"** he said through the mind-link. **"What do we know about this guy?"**

"**He seems to have every superpower under the sun,"** Shade informed him. **"He's got superstrength, flight, my umbrakinesis, Brightside's light power—"**

"**Photokinesis,"** the girl in question interrupted.

"…**Telekinesis,"** Shade continued after a pause. **"Everything!"**

"**I don't think he has everything all at once,"** Striker reasoned. **"He only has it after he's touched one of us. Did any of you notice he shocks you before he uses those powers?"**

"**And he has to touch us each time before using our powers,"** Felicity mentioned.

"**His name makes sense then,"** Haunt concluded. **"In Hindu mythology, an 'avatar' is a descendant of a deity. A manifestation of a god's power. He's 'manifesting' our powers when he touches us."**

"**Interesting," **Blue Gentleman moaned, annoyed. **"And how do we fight this exactly?"**

"**Long range attacks only,"** Haunt explained. **"No close combat."**

"**That leaves me out,"** Striker thought-spoke. **"I don't have any long range attacks."**

"**Besides my Panic Wail,"** Kieran concurred. **"Neither do I."**

"**I don't have powers,"** Lancet added. **"I can get in close."**

"**Remember he has body armor, Lancet,"** Striker prompted her. **"Aim for his joints – knees, shoulders, elbows, neck – any place that isn't protected."**

"**Right, the body's natural weak points,"** she agreed.

"**Whose powers does he have right now?"** Haunt inquired.

"**Mine,"** Shade replied.

"**Any weaknesses with that?"**

"**Well, it really hurts when Brightside hits me with those blasts of hers,"** he explained, pointing to the burns on his face and arms from when Avatar seared him.

"**Then I have an idea."**

Avatar stared at the group, waiting patiently for them to make a decision. He watched as the team huddled together. They appeared to be planning something, but no words were exchanged between them. Odd way to try to plan an attack.

_Blue Gentleman has telepathy, so it is likely that they are using a mind-link,_ Avatar concluded. _I wonder what they are thinking._

After a few more seconds of observing, Avatar saw Lancet insert a cartridge into her spear and the tip instantly began to spark with electricity. She rushed forward, her spear pointed straight at him. Once she reached him she connected the sparking tip edge to his body armor, giving him a nasty shock. As she swung her weapon to the side Avatar was able to grab it on both ends. They wrestled for the spear for a few minutes until he was knocked in the back by a flying chair. He looked over his shoulder to see Blue Gentleman telekinetically throwing as many objects from around the room at him as he could.

Of course, by taking the moment to search for his attacker he left himself open for Lancet to take her spear back into her full possession. She ducked down, swinging her weapon towards his knees. He fell to the ground, sending a shock up his spine from his rear end. This distracted him long enough for Shade to gather his shadows and trap Avatar inside a globe of darkness (which Lancet just barely managed to dodge being stuck inside). Brightside, who had in the meantime flown above the action near the crystal chandelier, gathered up as much of her sunlight as she could and sent it down at him in two Searing Rays, one from each hand.

Avatar collapsed on the ground, panting in shock from the burns caused by the rays. He realized that being surrounded by Shade's shadows as well as having absorbed his powers previously amplified his weakness to Brightside's sunlight. His body shook with pain, his teeth clattering as he slowly stood again. The group had gathered again at the edge of the lobby.

"Very nicely coordinated," Avatar complimented. "But now it's my turn."

Avatar swung out an arm, sending out a large wave of dark energy towards the group. Brightside and Blue Gentleman managed to fly up to avoid the attack, but the others were all knocked back into the closest wall. He then sent another wave to grab onto Haunt, who had landed on his chest to avoid the attack. Wrapping the shadow around the young man's waist, Avatar pulled Haunt towards him and laid a single finger on his forehead.

"Time for a taste of your own medicine."

The masked villain kicked the boy away. Taking a deep breath, he released his own version of Haunt's Panic Wail.

Jun collapsed out of the air, his telekinesis failing to keep him airborne as the high-pitched scream rang through his ears. Visions of a graveyard flew through his head before he lost all focus on that. His body began to spasm, irrational fear taking control of it against his will. He felt as if he would never feel joy or ease again. Jun covered his ears with his hands, but was unable to keep the wail from paralyzing his body. He had heard this before, but that was with earplugs and that was bad enough.

Blue Gentleman was barely able to open his eyes to see his companions in similar situations. Haunt was on his side, feeling the full effects of his own Panic Wail, as he shook with fear. Shade had his knees pulled up to his chest as he trembled in a fetal position. Brightside had fallen from the air as well, her mouth open in a silent scream of her own. Striker had managed to stay upright in a kneeling position, but his body was trembling in an attempt to gain control of his person. Lancet had dropped her spear and covered her own ears, gritting her teen as she tried to keep herself from screaming as well.

He looked up as Avatar stopped the wail, only for him to take another breath and release another. This couldn't keep up for long before they were killed from the attack.

_I've got to stop that wail…_ Blue Gentleman thought. …_But I can't focus long enough…_

_Now is the time!_ Zarcen asserted. _You need to boost your telepathic power!_

_Zarcen,_ Jun called to his mentor. He knew what his alien friend was talking about. _Now?_

_Yes, Jun,_ Zarcen replied. _Now!_

Despite the effort it took to keep his mind focused against the Panic Wail, Blue Gentleman forced himself to focus all of his energy into transforming into his Seraphim Form. His body stretched and twisted, his height increasing to ten feet, slimming down to and incredibly thin form, and his face smoothing out into a completely blank face. His normal suit costume shifted into a long white robe. Lastly, and most painfully, six long wings sprouted from his back, glowing iridescently against the light that was still present in the ruined lobby.

He was the prime example of an angel on earth.

_You have thirty seconds at most, Jun,_ Zarcen warned.

_I know_, Jun replied, his mind finally strong and clear enough to think properly. He flapped his wings and flew towards Avatar.

Avatar stopped screaming for a moment as he braced himself for Blue Gentleman to collide with him. The collision did not come; instead, Blue Gentleman used his advanced telekinesis to hold Avatar up in the air. Once he had reached the floating man Jun placed his hands on his temples, sending his mind straight into Avatar's.

"**What do you think you're doing, fool?!"** Avatar demanded, their minds now connected.

"**Cutting off the part of your brain that controls speech,"** Jun described, forcing his telepathy further into his opponent's brain.

"**I don't think so,"** Avatar proclaimed.

In retaliation, Avatar grabbed the Seraphim Form's bare hands, preparing to give him a mental blast of his own once he absorbed Blue Gentleman's telepathy for himself. He waited for the telepathic power to fill him…but it never did. He focused his power to try and take the ability again, but he was unsuccessful.

"**Why can't I absorb your powers?!"** he declared.

By this point, Blue Gentleman had completed his search into Avatar's brain, and used his telepathic powers to disconnect his ability to speak from the rest of his mind. Jun dropped him from his grip, sending the brown-haired villain to the shattered ground. He looked up at the seraph, taking a breath and readying another Panic Wail. As he exhaled, however, nothing came out. He made attempt after attempt to use the wail, even to speak normally, but he was entirely mute.

The Seraphim glided down to the ground, landing on his feet, as his body slowly shifted back to Jun's form shape. He stood upright for just a moment before falling backwards. Olivia rushed forward and caught him right before his head would have reached the floor. She held him up, carefully cradling his neck.

"Blue Gentleman," she called to him. "What was that?"

"My…Seraphim Form…" he gasped out, his body and mind both exhausted. "I was…"

"Easy, BG," Lancet gently ordered. "Don't overdue it."

Avatar opened his mouth in a form that would have been a groan if his voice had been active. The mental invasion left him drained, and he struggled to stand on his own. He shortly gave up in this attempt, and let his body lay in the pile of rubble.

"What now?" Shade asked, having recovered from the Panic Wail himself. "What do we do with him?"

His question was partly answered by an explosion that blew off the front wall of the LexCorp lobby. The expensive glass doorway and beautiful abstract paintings all flew from the explosion, breaking apart into pieces as they smashed against the desks and other decorations in the room. The impact caused the crystal chandelier to fall from its hangings, just barely missing Avatar and shattering into shards.

The Team looked through the giant gap in the wall the explosion had created. The _Goliath_ was hovering over the streets and smaller buildings. It must have required some skill from Skyhawk to hover the plane so close to the ground without actually landing.

"About time!" Shade exclaimed. "What took her so long?! I told her to meet us here _ages_ ago!"

"**Everyone, get into the plane!"** Haunt ordered through the mind-link. No one responded, either mentally or by obeying the command. **"Everyone?"**

Still nothing.

"The mind-link's down," he informed them. Of course Jun was too fatigued to keep it going. "Everyone on board!"

The Team turned to rush out of the building, Striker taking it upon himself to carry Blue Gentleman out. They were just about out of what would have been the doorway when a thick, black force field covered the opening, stopping them in their tracks.

"Blokas sian vojon kun ombroj," a deep but feminine voice recited, just as the shield was raised. The group turned to see Pandora standing over Avatar's nearly prone form. "Going somewhere?"

"Oh come on already!" Shade yelled, throwing is arms up in exasperation.

"Everyone, get on the plane," Kieran instructed. He grabbed Jun's Eskrima sticks from his friend's belt and turned to face Pandora. "I'll distract her."

The white-haired boy jumped forward to face the magic-wielding opponent. Pandora herself moved backwards to avoid the initial attack, dragging Avatar's injured form with her. She then began to chant again.

"Donu al mi glavoj de mallumo," she said, and blades that looked to be made of shadows formed in her hands, allowing her to parry the Eskrima sticks.

The two exchanged blows a few times. Haunt was deliberately trying to block her attacks rather than dodging them. Having fought against a few mages before, he knew that the best way to fight them was to keep them occupied so that they cannot cast any spells.

Sure enough, the shield that Pandora had created just moments ago fell, the shadows fragmenting apart as if they were glass. The group continued on to the _Goliath_, hopping through the cargo bay entrance. Wei bypassed the entrance platform entirely, opting to jump on board instead, Jun still in his arms. Felicity and Olivia were right behind them but Zyon stayed behind a little, taking a moment to look at the two battling ones in the lobby.

Haunt was using the Eskrima sticks to the best of his ability against Pandora's shadow blades, but it was clear that he was not well trained in this particular weapon. He was able to keep Pandora's hands and mouth busy enough to keep her from casting any more spells, but he was still struggling with actually keeping her at bay long enough for him to escape. Pandora eventually was able to strike him in the abdomen. He grunted in pain, bending over from the attack. She proceeded to kick him in the temples, snapping his head backwards. Kieran gasped again as he was crushed into the floor again.

"Shade, inside! Quickly!" Lancet called to him. He looked at her before his gaze returned to Haunt. Rather than obeying, he turned on his heel, back to Haunt and Pandora. "Shade!"

"I can at least rid us of Ghostwise's foolish boy!" Pandora announced, waving her hands in an elaborate manner. "Lanco de mallumo!"

Zyon forced his legs to move as fast as they could, placing himself between the sorceress and his leader. He put up a small shield of shadows from his hands, effectively keeping the dark spear she had conjured from meeting its mark. He pushed her back as Striker joined him to grab Haunt's battered body and carry him back to the _Goliath_.

"Wait…wait for…" Kieran sputtered out. "Wait for Shade…"

"Shade!" Olivia yelled again as the aircraft began to take off. "Come on!"

Pandora struck against Shade's hand shields with her spell spear again, her battle cries shifting into laughter as she fought against him.

"Let's see how much you can handle, boy," she taunted. She released the spear, which dissipated into thin air as she waved her hands again. "Sentu ondon de onbroj!"

Pandora held out her hands as a giant wave of shadows burst forth from them, heading straight for Shade. Zyon gathered up as much of his umbrakinetic power as he could before releasing it towards the mage, his shadows forming a similar wave as hers. The two attacks met each other halfway, sending wisps of darkness everywhere around the lobby, breaking any remaining glass and cracking any wood in the vicinity. Zyon focused as much of his energy as he could, but the longer he held the attack the more tired he became.

After a few seconds, the two attacks combined into a small blast, sending both combatants backwards and off their feet. Pandora landed against the main welcome desk, cracking her back and banging her head against the computer keyboard. Zyon was pushed towards the blasted opening. Brightside flew down from her place at the plane's entrance platform and managed to catch the young man. Her breath left her lungs.

"Damn, you're heavy," she gasped as she flew back up to the _Goliath_. She just managed to crash into the cargo bay just as it closed behind her. "Skyhawk! Get going!"

"On it!" Gabby replied over the plane intercom.

The _Goliath_ rose higher in the sky and took off. Skyhawk switched stealth mode on as she flew the plane as fast as the engines could handle.

* * *

Avatar blinked as he lay in the rubble of the LexCorp lobby. He slowly raised his arms, testing out how much he could move before putting too much strain on his body. A few moments passed as he brought himself to his knees and looked around. Pandora was standing near the edge of the unorthodox battlefield, looking out the opening the Team's airplane's weapons had created. Avatar then turned to see Chollima rushing towards him.

"Avatar!" Chollima screamed, reaching his side and helping him stand. "Are you hurt?"

He swallowed a few times and tried to speak, trying to find out if the mental block that Blue Gentleman placed on him had worn off. Avatar gasped and grunted a few times before finally speaking.

"I…I am not hurt," he gulped out. "Where are Solar, Blood Zero and Golem?"

"Golem is recovering on the medical floor," Chollima reported. "Solar was found in her greenhouse, unconscious. She is recovering as we speak. Blood Zero is missing right now. We will find him."

"Don't bother," Avatar commanded. "He will come back to us. You know why."

"We will catch the intruders. I will send our planes out after them immediately."

"Let them go. Their escape will not change our plan."

Chollima's gaze turned momentarily from him to Pandora, who had started to chuckle in place. The Korean woman cocked an eyebrow. What was with her?

"Finally!" Pandora whispered out, just enough for Chollima to hear. "I finally found someone with as much darkness within him as I."

She left the sorceress to her madness, returning her eyes to Avatar.

"What are your orders, Avatar?"

"We continue the plan as before," he told her. He rubbed the back of his head in thought. "In fact, perhaps we can use the events from tonight to our advantage…"


	11. Internal Struggles

A/N: Wow, the responses I've gotten for the last chapter…I don't know if I can measure up to that in future chapters. I hope I can. But now we have the aftermath of the mission. Emotions are running high, and common sense is thrown out the window…how is everyone going to react?

In contrast to the last chapter that was rather description heavy, this one is more dialogue heavy. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Readers…let me know?

The song "On My Father's Wings" is from Quest for Camelot, which, admittedly, it not a great film, but the song fits the character singing it well. I do not own the rights to either the song or the film.

Lastly, this chapter contains a lot of discussing/arguing over the merits of morals, right and wrong, and other philosophical topics. These are just meant to be things the characters are thinking about, and I try to represent how each character would approach these topics to the best of my ability. The viewpoints taken here do not necessarily represent my own points of view, nor am I trying to accurately represent the viewpoints of the submitters of these original characters. This is solely for character development. Please do not use this fic as a forum to discuss/argue these issues. I would greatly appreciate it.

And now, to the chapter! …I promise the next one will be shorter.

* * *

_Metropolis Airspace_

_July 23, 02:22 EDT_

Skyhawk watched her monitors carefully as she pushed the _Goliath_ as hard as she could. Each scanner was clear, without a single blip on any screen. Every one of her sensors showed that nothing was following them and there was no danger in front. She waited a little while before deciding that it was completely safe.

"Okay everyone," she said over the intercom again. "We're in the clear."

"Great, we can rest easy now," Olivia sighed. She looked down at Jun, who was resting on one of the cots in the passenger cabin. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he comforted her. "I just need to rest a little. Going into Seraphim Form wears me out."

"You know, when I said you and Zarcen were angels, I didn't mean for that to be so literal," the redhead stated. She then turned to Kieran, who had just woken up from a short nap. "What about you? Pandora got you pretty badly."

"It's nothing," Haunt said. He looked around. "Where's Zyon?"

"Over here," the umbrakinetic called from his seat on the other side of the plane. He slowly moved from his seat and plopped himself down next to Kieran. "What's up?"

"You went up against Pandora, by yourself, to save me," he described. "You could've been hurt, or worse."

"Yeah, I guess. Couldn't let her do you in like that, could I?"

"Zyon, you are the craziest man I've ever met," Kieran proclaimed. He took another breath. "And for that I owe you my life."

The white-haired young man offered the other his hand. "Thank you."

"Like I said," Zyon answered with a laugh, taking the hand and shaking it. "What would you guys do without me?"

Felicity took a glance around the cabin, taking in each of her comrades. Kieran was sitting on a seat with Zyon on the floor next to him. Jun was lying on the cot, resting. Olivia was walking back and forth between everyone else, checking on them to make sure everyone was doing all right and mending to any obvious injuries. Wei was sitting cross-legged next to the cot, seeming to alternate between looking around the plane and what appeared to be meditation.

It was strange. They all looked like the past hours and battles didn't have a big effect on them. It was true that they were feeling the aftermath of the battle, especially Jun, but they did not seem to be reeling from it quite like she was. The events of the previous night kept running through her mind.

Her failure to save Lancet and Shade after they had been found out in the computer room, the fight against Chollima and Golem followed by the somewhat successful battle against Avatar, the actual escape itself…seeing her friends tossed around and hurt by her own powers…the revelation of her mother's identity…The adrenaline that had been running through her veins was finally starting to subside, leaving her body drained and her mind whirling. Her breathing began to speed up.

It was all too much.

"Felicity?" Olivia said, her voice a little louder than normal. The blonde realized that she had in fact been calling her for a few minutes. "Are you all right? You're looking a little pale."

Felicity sped to the nearest corner and vomited.

* * *

_The Sanctuary, Blüdhaven_

_July 23, 09:33 EDT_

Despite his great anger and disappointment at the Team's recent, unauthorized mission, Red Robin had been willing to let the Team sleep before requiring a report from them. Later that morning, he called the New Team and Superboy to the Mission Room for an explanation. It took a bit of time, with each person giving his or her own account of what had happened (Felicity kept the news of her parentage to herself however). Red Robin was silent for a while after everyone had finished, taking in all of the information and trying to process it. When he finally spoke, his words and his tone very clearly showed how he was feeling.

"I am very disappointed in all of you," he stated plainly. "You infiltrated an enemy stronghold without thinking a thorough plan, and you did not think of the consequences of you getting caught. You alerted the enemy to your presence, not just on this mission but in general. Any potential future covert mission is as risk since they now know who all of you are. And you caused a huge amount of damage to a public location, which will surely be in the news media today."

"Red Robin, if you want to blame someone, blame me," Kieran interrupted. The others stared at him. "I was the one who led everyone on this mission. It was my plan that went wrong, and I didn't think of any contingency plans. I put everyone in danger."

"**Well, technically,"** Zyon said through the renewed mind-link. **"I was the one who offered to spy on Red Robin and Superboy to begin with."**

"**Shut up, Zyon,"** Kieran argued back.

"Be that as it may," the leader continued. "You also managed to sneak into a secure facility like LexCorp, initially undetected, hacked Luthor's files and downloaded them for your own use, freed yourselves as well as four prisoners whose fates were to be test subjects, held your own against the enemy multiple times, and managed to escape on your own…relatively unharmed, and with vital information that will likely turn the tide of this situation."

Everyone just stared at Red Robin. He grinned. "Good job."

They all looked at each other, slowly smiling. They released a collective mental sign of relief.

"We've actually fought against Avatar before," Superboy added. "That was a few years ago. The team before you fought him, although he didn't have nearly the power or resources that he apparently has now."

"He disappeared after a few battles against him," Red Robin confirmed. "Speedy and Robin…_Nightwing_ fought him last. They can probably tell us more about him."

"We get to meet Speedy? And Robin?" Jun repeated, his eyes widening at the prospect of meeting more famous heroes in person. "The latest Boy Wonder and the Red Archeress?"

"People are still coming up with the strangest nicknames for us," Conner groaned.

"Robin goes by Nightwing now," Red Robin clarified. "But that's right."

The look of excitement on Jun's face increased tenfold.

"Speedy is on a trip right now," Conner continued. "We can call her and Nightwing back to tell us what they know."

"Now, about this device Avatar is making," Red Robin pressed on. He turned his attention to Olivia. "You said you hacked Luthor's files. Do you still have that data?"

"I do. Right here," she replied. She pulled her flash drive out of her pocket and handed it over. Red Robin took the drive and inserted it onto the holographic computer on his wrist and began typing on the holographic keyboard. "I tried to decipher it, but the files are heavily encrypted. I couldn't hack them fast enough before we were attacked. It would take me hours to—"

"I'm in," Red Robin declared, cutting her off. He brought up the display up so the others could look at the schematics. He looked at them for a brief moment. "It does look like some kind of transfer device, like you said."

The overall appearance of the machine looked like two small cylinders connection to a rounded metal board. The cylinders were made of transparent glass, with connected to each other through the board with both clear tubing and colored wiring. There was a digital display on the board, although the schematics did not demonstrate what it would show. From the two cylinders were more wires and what looked like ECG electrodes that would attach to a person's body. The metal board also had an empty space between two probes at the top, with rubber tubing just beneath it.

"So that thing is supposed to transfer superpowers from one person to another?" Jun asked.

"Presumably. Strange," Red Robin mused. "It doesn't look like it's designed to have a power source."

"What do you mean?" Olivia inquired.

"See this spot here?" he said as he pointed to the rubber tubing. "It looks like where a battery or something would be connected, but nothing is here in the plans."

"Avatar did say the design wasn't finished," Zyon added. "Maybe they weren't done with it yet?"

"Or maybe, they didn't have the kind of power source they needed to make this device work," Red Robin stated. "What did the New Light say about this Nexus Crystal?"

"Not a lot," Olivia told him. "I was able to download some of that information on the flash drive though."

"I remember they talked about 'shards of the Nexus' during the meeting," Kieran mentioned. "They didn't go into a lot of detail."

Red Robin pressed more keys on his holographic keyboard, and text flew past the larger display. The former Boy Wonder must be able to read at incredible speeds, because no one else in the room could understand any of what the data said except him apparently.

"The files describe some kind of artifact," he informed them. "An artifact that split into pieces, or shards, ages ago and was scattered across the world. I'm going to bring this to Oracle and see if she can research it more. She's an expert at this kind of thing."

"We still need to wait for Zatanna to come back from Bialya," Superboy reminded him. "We wanted her to interpret those runes from New York, remember?"

"And I will call Speedy and Nightwing to come as soon as possible," Red Robin said. He faced the Team, who had been silent for the most part up to this point. "In the meantime, you all can take it easy. Head home, relax, train…anything you'd like."

The Team didn't move from their spots as both Red Robin and Superboy left the Mission Room. No one did anything for a minute, and the tension in the air was stifling.

"Well, uh," Zyon stuttered out. "That could've gone a lot worse."

"Yeah," Olivia agreed. "He wasn't _as_ mad as I thought."

"And the mission was successful in the end," Felicity adjoined. "All things considered?"

Wei gave a respectful nod. "In more ways than one. I am in your debt for saving me."

Kieran was silent, glaring at the floor. Jun was watching him closely. He seemed to be the only one who was disappointed in the results of the night.

"Kieran?" he asked. The white-haired boy looked at him. "What're you thinking about?"

"The Collector, obviously," Kieran responded. "I had him _right there_, and I had to let him go."

"Yeah, but you'll have another chance, right?" Jun enlightened him. "To bring him to justice?"

"I guess," he concurred half-heartedly, but he looked more determined than ever. "I won't rest as long as he breathes."

"…Is that all you think about?" Jun frowned a little. "Catching him? …Killing him?"

"That's the idea, Jun. That's why I'm here, remember?" Kieran proclaimed. "To get The Collector, to rescue my brother, and to get revenge for the murder of my father."

"And that's all that matters to you?" Jun questioned, his voice dead serious. "Vengeance?"

_Be careful here, Jun,_ Zarcen warned him. _You do not want to push him too much._

_But Zarcen,_ Jun began to think back. _He's—_

_Keep calm,_ the alien ordered.

"He was the one who kidnapped my brother and murdered my dad," he snarled. "I'm going to find my brother, and I will sacrifice everything I have to save him!"

"Oh, I do _not_ like where this is going," Olivia voiced, putting a hand to her forehead.

"Me neither," Zyon agreed as he backed up from the group a little.

"Well that explains why you faced off against Pandora on your own," Jun debated. "She could've killed you too! You would sacrifice yourself and your own morals just to get revenge?"

"It _has_ to be done, Jun," Kieran argued back. "Killing The Collector is the only way to save my brother, and to stop him from harming any other children!"

"But do you have to resort to killing him?" the other disputed. "There must be something else you can do? Arrest him? Lock him away? Arkham Asylum, if he's as crazy as you say?"

"There is _no other_ way, Jun," Kieran pronounced. "His death is the only thing that will stop him and bring me any peace. I have to do what is necessary to save my brother and stop his evil once and for all."

Jun's breathing was starting to speed up. Flashes of Blood Zero and the conversation they had while Jun was in his custody flew through his mind. Blood Zero's argument that the only way to stop criminals, to stop evil, was to kill them…it was too similar to what Kieran was saying now. He could vaguely hear Zarcen in the back of his head continuing to try and keep his temper under control, but he was slowly losing it.

_Jun, take a deep breath,_ Zarcen thought to him kindly. Jun forced himself to exhale.

"Killing like that is not 'necessary,' Kieran," Jun debated. "You lose yourself and everything you stand for as a hero when you kill."

"That's rich, saying what I should and should not stand for."

Any calming influence from Zarcen was lost, and Jun's eyes narrowed. "_Excuse_ me?"

"You only care about being a hero," Kieran argued. "You say that killing The Collector is all I think about. Well, if that makes me less of a hero then so be it. At least I have something beyond heroics in life."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you might criticize me for my actions," Kieran answered. "But at least I have something besides hero work waiting for me! I don't let my hero identity consume me the way you let yours!"

"I don't do that!" Jun snapped back.

"Please, Jun, don't make me laugh. I've seen you get up to train at ungodly hours. You never talk about your friends or family, even vaguely. It's always about hero work," the white-haired one testified. "Do you know that the only time I haven't seen you in your Blue Gentleman costume was when we were undercover in New York? And even then you didn't seem happy about it. At what point is Blue Gentleman going to be the only thing left, and Jun is gone?"

"That's not the point!" Jun argued back. "Just because I don't let my personal feelings get in the way of saving others and doing what is right! You have no right to judge me!"

"You are so high and mighty about being so morally right!" Kieran criticized. "No killing? No doing what is _has_ to be done to stop the bad guys? And then you judge me for putting personal feelings first? If someone killed your parents or your brother, what would you do?! You'd just let the murderer run free! Just like that!"

Felicity realized that Kieran had overstepped his bounds. She recalled from her training session with Jun earlier that the subject of parents was very personal to Jun, since he was not very willing to discuss them. She had a strong feeling that something had happened to them, but she had not wanted to push it at that time. It was clearly a very sore topic that he did not want to talk about.

She couldn't have been more right.

Jun quickly grabbed Kieran by the front of his robe and threw him to the ground. Kieran released a grunt of surprise and pain, glaring up at the younger man through slit-like eyes.

"_You take that back_," Jun demanded, his voice low and full of venom.

Before the two of them could get any more violent, Wei rushed and placed himself between the two younger boys.

"Both of you stop!" he instructed firmly. "This arguing will get you both nowhere, and just wastes energy. Stop it this instant."

Kieran slowly stood back up, forcing his body to stop shaking from the rage he was feeling. Wei carefully helped him up, but kept a hand on his arm to make sure he didn't attack Jun, which he looked like he desperately wanted to do.

"Someday," he growled. "Your good heart and inability to do what is necessary is going to get you or someone killed."

Almost simultaneously the two spun around and went off in different directions. Jun quickly broke out into a run towards the Zeta Tubes, while Kieran walked more slowly in the direction of the dormitories. Olivia, Zyon and Felicity all looked at each other.

"Let them go," Wei directed them. "They need time alone to cool off."

"Being alone is the last thing Kieran needs right now," Felicity asserted as she followed him. The others stayed put.

The blonde was not fast enough to catch him, however. By the time she reached him, Kieran had slammed his bedroom door closed. Felicity was about to knock, to see if he wanted to talk, when she paused. She pressed her ear to the door and listened. A moment later, she backed away and blinked.

Was that crying she heard?

* * *

_Manhattan, New York City _

_July 23, 17:16 EDT_

"And then I blocked Pandora's attack with a shadow shield while Wei got Kieran out of there," Zyon explained to Rai, sitting on the floor in front of his television as they played Mortal Kombat: Apocalypse over at Zyon's apartment. "Pandora threw a blast at me, I threw a blast at her, and then BAM! Explosion again!"

"No wonder Metropolis is in a frenzy," Rai stated as his character performed a Fatality move against Zyon's. "You're building up quite a resume you know? With all the buildings you've blown up?"

"I didn't mean for either to explode," Zyon argued. "It just kind of happened."

Rai was smirking, amused. "Uh-huh. What's next? The Daily Planet? The Golden Gate Bridge? The White House?"

"Okay, okay, so it got a little out of control," the other conceded, groaning. "But it worked out, and the next mission will be just as cool. I can feel it."

"So you're going to stick with this Team thing?" Rai asked. "Even with all the drama going on?"

"Why not? I get to meet cool people, hang out with other heroes my age, practice my powers," he listed. Zyon managed to beat Rai in video game combat, three to two. "What's not to like? Yeah, so Kieran and Jun have some problems to work out, but who doesn't? You got to take it in stride."

"And if you run into Pandora again?"

"I can deal with her, no problem."

"I just can't help but think you're getting in _way_ over your head, Zyon," Rai offered. He looked over at his best friend. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

Zyon smiled at him. "Hey, I'll be fine. It's me."

"That's the biggest problem," Rai joked. "At least you'll have the others to keep an eye on you."

"Hey, _I'm_the one who saved _them_, remember?" Zyon poked back.

Before either boy could say anything more, the front door opened. Zyon's mother, Brenda, walked in, carrying a pile of groceries in a couple of bag. She gave out a grunt.

"Zyon, could you help me with these?" she requested. He put down the game controller and walked over to the door, grabbing two of the bags out of his mother's arms. "Thanks. Good evening, Rai."

"Hi, Mrs. Carter."

"Isabelle is outside by the car," Brenda told them. "She's helping Carla out of her seat."

Zyon groaned on the inside. Isabelle was Carla's babysitter, who had this annoying tendency to try and interpret all of Zyon's strange behaviors. The young Caucasian woman soon entered the apartment as well, holding hands with Zyon's little sister, Carla. The little girl was smiling at her sitter, but her face brightened considerably when her eyes caught the sight of her brother.

"Zyon!" she cried out, running over to him throwing her arms around his waist. "We're home!"

"I can see that," he snipped, sarcasm clear in his voice.

"She's been excited to see you all day," Isabelle told him. "She really wanted you to come home from your sleepover at Rai's."

"Can you make those shadow puppets from before?" Carla requested.

Zyon stared at her. "Shadow puppets?"

"Yeah," she said. "The ones that pick up plates and books and stuff."

"Have you been doing magic tricks for your sister again?" Brenda asked as she and Isabelle began to put the groceries away.

"That's not what – ow!" Zyon began, but was stopped by Rai elbowing him hard in the abdomen. He gathered his composure again. "I mean, n-no. I wasn't doing anything with magic tricks."

"Yes you were!" Carla insisted, hopping up and down in excitement. "You had shadow puppets that picked stuff up and tossed them around. Then you used them to—"

Zyon had clamped a palm over the girl's mouth, effectively muffling anything more she had to say.

"Uh, nothing, nothing," Zyon interrupted her, looking at his mother nervously. "You know how kids are."

"Oh Carla," Brenda sighed with a shake of her head. "Your imagination is running wild again."

"No really, Mommy! I saw him do it!" Carla insisted, pulling Zyon's hand away from her face. She bounced up and down, as if very proud of herself for sharing his information. "He just doesn't want to tell you cause he'd get in trouble! It's a secret!"

Carla ran off, speeding up the stairs as fast as her four-year-old legs could carry her. Zyon followed her but stopped at the bottom of the steps.

"Stay out of my room, Carla!" he demanded.

"I think I'm going to head out, Zyon," Rai decided as if nothing was happening. "It's getting near dinnertime anyway."

"Yeah, you never want to be late for dinner, Rai," Zyon joked. "I'll see you later."

The two of them fist-bumped before Rai leaned in a little closer to his friend.

"Try and work harder to keep your powers a secret," he suggested. "Especially from Carla. She'll blow your cover in an instant."

"I know, I know."

Rai smiled at him and then left the apartment. Zyon watched him go until he heard a smash coming from upstairs…specifically, from his room.

"Carla!" he called as he leaped up the stairs, taking two steps at a time.

"Zyon!" Brenda reprimanded. "No jumping on the stairs!"

"Carla, you better not—!" he called out as he reached his room. He found his younger sister jumping up and down on his bed. She giggled madly but stopped when he entered. "I keep telling you to stay out of my room!"

"Zyon! Show Mommy your shadow puppets!" Carla both asked and commanded simultaneously. "Please! Show her!"

"Carla, there are no shadow puppets!" Zyon insisted. He groaned and put a hand to his forehead. "You are _so_ annoying."

"But I've seen you do them," his sister repeated. "You use it to do your homework and play games at the same time. You use them to clean your room. You even jump in and out of the shadow puppets."

Zyon's stomach sank with each statement she made. Rai was right. He _really_ had to be more careful when using his umbrakinesis.

"Look Carla," Zyon said, picking up his sister from his bed and putting her on her feet on the floor. "Mommy can't know about the shadow puppets, okay? You can't keep telling her about them."

"Oh, it _is_ a secret!" Carla whispered, smiling like she was a conspirator in a plot to conquer the world.

"Yeah, a _secret_," he replied. "And secrets need to be kept _secret_, right?"

"Right, right," she agreed. She then smiled wider. "What'll you give me for it?"

_Oh great, my own sister is blackmailing me,_ Zyon thought. He then spoke out loud to her. "How about I get you some ice cream before dinner?"

"Mommy _hates_ it when we have ice cream before dinner," Carla reminded him, but she was still smiling.

"I know, but just this once," he offered. "Wait in your room. I'll go get the ice cream."

"Ice cream!" And with that declaration, Carla rushed off into her own playroom.

Zyon watched her leave before closing his bedroom door and heading back down the stairs. He was only a few steps down when he heard the voices of his mother and Isabelle speaking, and he could have sworn he heard his name being said. Zyon stopped in his tracks and listened.

"Zyon and I used to be so close," Brenda mused.

"When he was younger?" Isabelle asked.

"We shared everything," the older woman reminisced. She smiled at the memories. "Secrets, sports, reading together, cooking…"

"Nothing says bonding with you mother than her letting you lick the bowl of cookie dough," Isabelle attempted to joke. Brenda didn't react to it.

"He's just been more distant lately," Brenda said. "He won't talk to me the way he used to. Not since a few years ago."

"Well, he _is_ a teenager now," Isabelle reminded her. "They always try to be more independent, you know?"

Zyon kept himself from huffing at that statement. Did she _have_ to think his every action had some hidden meaning she had to interpret?

"I just wish that he would tell me about whatever it is that's going on with him," Brenda moaned. "Whatever it is, he can tell me."

Zyon kept himself from going down the stairs. He could recall just as easily all the pastimes he used to have with his mother. Ever since his father died when he was three, it had just been the two of them. They had supported each other and comforted each other during those harder times. Even when Carla's father had come and gone and Zyon found himself with his annoying baby half-sister when he was twelve, it hadn't interfered with the relationship he had with his mother.

That had all changed though, when he turned fourteen and his powers began to manifest.

Brenda was never one to be a fan of superheroes. Zyon knew that his father's death had something to do with people with powers, but he never knew the details and his mother did not like to speak of it. All she told him was that his dad had wanted to "play hero" at a grocery store while getting dinner for his family. The store had become a battlefield for a hero and villain with superpowers, and his father had gotten caught up in it. He didn't survive the encounter.

Whatever the details were, it had caused Brenda to have a distinct dislike for anyone with any powers of any kind, regardless of whether they were hero or villain. How would she react if she knew that her own son was one of those people?

Zyon decided to forgo the ice cream, and went back to his room.

* * *

_The Sanctuary, Blüdhaven_

_July 24, 08:45 EDT_

In his irritation and sorrow, Kieran had completely forgone any meals since he locked himself in his room the previous day. Instead, he headed straight for the training room to let out some of the frustration and anger on some punching bags or weights.

His anger at The Collector for having killed his father and kidnapping his brother…his anger at Avatar for starting this whole mess to begin with…his anger at Jun for pointing out the flaws in his reasoning for wanting to kill The Collector...his anger at Jun for being right…his anger at himself for not being able to save his family…

He walked up to the closest punching bag and stared at it. He repositioned his legs, his right foot back and his left forward, drew back his right hand and threw a wide and strong punch at the bag. This set off a flurry of punches at the bag, with the occasional kick. The punching bag swung on its chain, back and forth, until Kieran eventually came to a point where he pulled back and released another punch. The bag swung away from him before coming back at full force. Kieran moved forward to punch it again, but he mistimed his step and the punching bag ended up slamming into him instead. He managed to catch it, but it effectively stopped his flow. He sighed again.

"That's the thing about moving forward too quickly," a quiet voice spoke. Kieran half-turned to see Wei sitting in the corner of the training room, his legs crossed on the yoga mat. "You can end up stopping in your tracks instead."

Kieran was silent for a moment. "How long have you been there?"

"I've been meditating for a few hours. It helps clear my head," Wei stated, standing up. "It looks to me like you could use some head clearing too. Want to talk?"

"I'd rather not," the other replied, turning away and facing the bag again.

"Kieran," the Chinese young man proclaimed. "You are carrying a very heavy burden right now. It might not hurt to share it."

"I'm the only one who should carry this burden," Kieran argued. "It's my problem, not anyone else's."

"What is the saying?" Wei wondered. "How a problem shared is a problem halved?"

"They also say that misery loves company," he retorted.

He turned around to face Wei again, and Kieran could tell by the look on his face that he was not going to just let the subject drop. Rather than arguing further, however, Wei simply moved to the training mat in the center of the room.

"Here, come at me," he instructed, taking a battle stance. "And fill me in on the details of this burden of yours while you're at it."

* * *

_Colorado Springs, Colorado_

_July 24, 09:01 EDT_

Felicity sat on her living room couch, taking in all that had happened the past few days. Her father was away at work at the hospital, and Samantha was off shopping for a week's worth of groceries...at least, that was the excuse she gave. It was more likely that Samantha was _also_ shopping for clothing at the nearest mall, but Felicity really didn't care about that.

In reviewing her recent experiences, the young woman was feeling more than a little overwhelmed. She had accepted membership into a covert team working under Red Robin himself (who clearly felt like she had more potential than any other adult in her life), she had started some basic training with two of her new team members, she had been on a few missions that ranged from going okay to being just barely survivable, and she now had _another_ thing to keep her father and stepmother from finding out. Oh, and she also discovered that her birth mother was in fact alive and on the enemy's side. Secrets seemed to be cropping up left and right, and not only did she have to keep them from her family, but also from her new teammates and mentor.

Yeah, Felicity could use some best friend advice right about now.

No sooner said, Emma came over, being the one person that Felicity could be completely open with. She knew that Emma would never betray her trust.

Felicity explained the whole situation to her best friend with as much detail as she could. Emma just sat quietly on the opposite recliner, taking in everything that the blonde was telling her. She had to admit, it was amusing to watch Felicity pace as she explained what had passed. Eventually Emma couldn't stop herself from chuckling a little.

"What's so funny?" Felicity asked her.

"You are," Emma replied, nearly coming into full-blown laughter. "Your reactions to all this are hilarious."

"Em, this is serious!" the blonde declared, stress evident in her tone. Her voice dropped down into a whisper, as if she wanted to keep a secret even though no one else was in the room. "How am I supposed to deal with a mother who wants to recruit me to the bad guys, is not above threatening my friends for it, and could ruin any chances I have with the Team and Haunt if they found out about her?"

"Wait, the Team _and Haunt_?" Emma echoed, noticing that her friend named him specifically. She paused for a moment and then smiled, leaning forward in the chair. "You are so stuck on Haunt, aren't you?"

"What?" Felicity chirped. "No! I'm not!"

Emma feigned disappointment. "What about this Striker guy who saved you then?"

Felicity put a hand to her forehead, exasperated. She threw herself back onto the couch, sitting upside down with her feet in the air and her head dangling over the bottom cushion.

"Okay, this is not happening," she complained, holding her fingers to her temples. "My completely unhelpful best friend is _not_ more concerned with how hot my new teammates are when she should be helping me deal with my new mommy problems."

"You want some best friend advice? Okay, here it is," Emma stated, her tone turning slightly more serious. "Unless she is killed in battle, arrested, sucked into another dimension, falls into a coma, or gets amnesia and forgets who you are-"

"All the typical things that happen to bad guys."

"Yeah, unless any of that stuff happens, Solar is not likely going to go anywhere," the brunette continued. "She'll probably track you down and still try to convince you to let her be your mom and villain mentor."

"Still not helping, Em," Felicity moaned.

"Well, what you need to do is...tell the others and stop worrying about it," Emma advised. "There're probably dozens of heroes with bad blood running around. Ask Red Robin. He can probably name a few for you."

"If I tell them, what if they kick me off the Team?"

"Lissy, what would they do if they find out from someone else?" Emma reasoned. "I mean, since you share powers with Solar, it will eventually become very obvious that you two share a connection. Wouldn't it be better to hear it directly from you than from someone else? Someone like Solar herself?"

Felicity sighed. She really couldn't argue with that logic. "I don't—"

Whatever she was going to say was interrupted by her cell phone ringing. She plucked it from her pocket and, without looking at the number, answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hi Felicity!" It was Olivia.

"Hi Olivia," she responded. Felicity then paused. "Wait, how'd you get this number?"

"Red Robin gave it to me obviously," Olivia informed her. Felicity groaned. _Obviously_. "Where did you think I'd get it?"

"I don't know. Nevermind."

"Hey, I was calling to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"Have you heard from Jun by any chance?"

"Not recently," Felicity told her. Emma stood up from her seat and walked over to sit next to her upside-down friend on the couch. "Why? Is everything okay?"

"I just wanted to check up on him, but he's not answering his phone," the Scottish girl explained. "You know, after yesterday..."

"Yesterday. Yeah." The blonde echoed. "How's Kieran?"

"He's okay I think," Olivia described. "He's sparring with Wei right now. He's trying to get Kieran to let off some steam."

"I hope that helps," Felicity said, pointedly ignoring Emma, who was mouthing "Tell her!" silently. "I don't know about Jun. I don't have his number."

"Arg, you Americans and you not sharing phone numbers," Olivia mused. "Anyway, the other reason I'm calling is to let you know that Red Robin is holding a training session tomorrow at about one. Think you can make it?"

By this point, Emma quickly grabbed Felicity's cell from her hand and held it up to her own ear. "She'll be there."

"Emma!"

"Who's this?" Olivia asked, suddenly suspicious.

"This is Emma, Brightside's official sidekick."

Felicity couldn't stifle a giggle. She shook her head in amusement.

"A _sidekick_? Really?" Olivia laughed, playing along.

"Oh yes," Emma joked. "I know all of her deepest, _darkest_ secrets, ranging from her weaknesses to her secret identity!"

All humor left Felicity instantly, and she glared at her friend. She wasn't going to tell Olivia about what they had just been discussing, was she? The blonde reached to grab the phone, but Emma dodged out of the way. She stared at Emma helplessly, her eyes begging her friend to not speak.

"Ah, but as her sidekick," Olivia informed her. "You wouldn't _dare_ betray any secrets of hers, would you?"

"No, you're right," Emma said, one hand on her hip and giving Felicity a knowing smirk. "I wouldn't tell anyone anything."

"Even if I bribed or blackmailed you?"

"Nope."

"Even if I threatened your life or that of your friends?"

"Nope."

"_Even_ if I threatened to stick you in a rather comfy chair, which you would have to sit in until lunchtime, with nothing but a cup of coffee at 11?"

"Oh, now _that_ is cruel and unusual punishment!"

"Perhaps I am a cruel and unusual person."

"What in the world are you two talking about?" Felicity questioned, very confused and rightly so.

"I think I like this Olivia girl," Emma told her with one hand over the cell phone speaker.

"Well, in any case," Olivia continued on the other side of the call. "Tell your boss that we'll be expecting her at training tomorrow."

"Will do," said Emma.

"Put Felicity back on?" Olivia requested. Emma said her goodbye and passed the phone over. "Felicity, the three of us absolutely must hang out sometime!"

"I'm glad you two like each other as much as you seem to," Felicity articulated, still perplexed. "What was all that about?"

"Nothing important," the redhead answered. "See you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," she confirmed. "Say hi to Kieran and Wei for me?"

"I will," Olivia said, and she hung up soon afterwards.

"'Say hi to _Kieran_ for me'," Emma repeated in a false voice and a true smile. "Yeah, you've got the hots for him."

Felicity turned to Emma, irritation obvious in her expression. "Don't _ever_ do that again!"

"Don't do what?" Emma asked innocently. "Point out that you like a guy?"

"Act like you're going to tell my secret!" she demanded, once again ignoring Emma's attempt to change the subject.

"Lissy," Emma voiced. Her tone had taken on a far more serious light. "Do you really think I would do something like that?"

"…No, I guess not," Felicity admitted with a loud exhale. "This whole thing had just got me on edge."

"I don't blame you," the other stated. "Hey, why don't we head for that park on the corner of Hartman and Kaufman? There's supposed to be music playing there tonight."

"Another one of those garage bands trying to get publicity?" Felicity wondered.

"Probably," Emma agreed. "We can hang, listen to the music, get some food…relax a little."

"Yeah, I think I need that."

"Don't I always know what's best?"

"You know how to take me on an emotional rollercoaster, that's for sure."

* * *

_The Sanctuary, Blüdhaven_

_July 24, 09:12 EDT_

Wei parried one of Kieran's attacks with his forearm, followed by him grabbing Kieran's leg when he tried to kick at his knees. He knew that he could easily dodge the other young man's attacks and probably could have thrown him across the room with a grapple, especially with the lack of foresight that Kieran was currently displaying, but Wei knew he needed to keep the other talking. Having something to physically hit seemed to be what he needed right now, and with his channeled Chi energy, Wei didn't have to worry about actually getting hurt.

"Not only did I fail my father in battle," Kieran described, reminding himself of the fight against The Collector and the elementals that had joined him. "But I couldn't protect my brother in our own home."

"Malcolm was taken from your home while you and your father were away?" Wei summarized.

"We were training, away from home near the center of San Francisco," he continued, sending a sweeping kick to Wei. The Chinese boy jumped to dodge it. "The Collector left a note telling us a meeting place if we wanted Malcolm back. We went but lost the fight, at the cost of my father's life."

"Which brought you to Red Robin at the Justice League Festival," Wei finished for him. "You needed his help."

"I wasn't good enough to save my family on my own," Kieran determined. "They needed me and I failed them."

Wei broke away from the sparring and stared at him. "That sounds about right."

"What?" Kieran's jaw dropped a little.

"You were incapable of fighting against a foe whose power was far greater than your own," Striker summarized. "You should have known better, been better prepared for such a fight."

Kieran looked away, any desire to spar leaving him.

"You were destined to fail from the start," Wei persisted. "You should have done more."

Kieran was starting to get angry. "What do you know?"

"I know that your father and brother couldn't depend on you. Not when they needed you most."

"…I did the best I could," the white-haired one whispered.

"But your best wasn't good enough," Wei argued, keeping a straight face. Kieran's hands clenched into fists. Striker crossed his arms over his chest. "Am I wrong?"

"I was outnumbered," Kieran debated. He launched himself at Wei, slamming his fists into his shoulders.

"My dad and I couldn't have known that The Collector had teamed up with Golem or Avatar!" He delivered a kick to the other's elbows.

"I couldn't have known he would go after Malcolm!" Another punch into the neck.

"I didn't even know he knew our identities!" This time, a kick to the right knee.

"I did everything I could to protect them!" By this point, Kieran had pinned Wei to the nearest wall.

"There wasn't any more I could have done!" Kieran punched Wei right in the face.

Realizing what he was doing, Haunt gasped and stood back, releasing Striker from his trapped position. He didn't look harmed, however, as if none of Kieran's attacks had any effect on him.

"Wei, I'm…" he stuttered out. "I-I'm sorry. I—"

"Exactly," Wei interrupted him calmly. "Think about what you just said."

Kieran stared at him.

"You _were_ outnumbered, by foes that you didn't know The Collector had allied with," Wei recapped. "You didn't know that The Collector knew your secret identities – and really, how _could_ you have known? – so how could you have predicted that he would be able to kidnap your brother behind your back?"

As Wei listed off all these facts, Kieran felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

"You _did_ do everything you could, to the extent that you could have known or predicted," Striker continued. "No one faults you for that…or, it seems, no one faults you but yourself."

Wei walked back over to the yoga mats where he had been meditating before. He gestured for Kieran to follow him.

"Sit," he instructed. The other boy slowly moved over and plopped himself down next to him. "Kieran, you can't go around blaming yourself for all the wrongs that happened to your family. I will only say this once: _It was not your fault_."

"It feels like it though," Kieran admitted. He looked at Wei, guilt and grief evident in his face. "If I had just done _something_ – kept a better watch on my father during the fight, or tried harder to keep my brother's identity a secret – then none of this would have happened."

"You can't know that. Some things happen anyway, no matter what you try," Wei said, standing up from his seat and turning his back to Kieran as he watched the fish through the glass wall. "You keep telling yourself that if you had done just one thing differently…but there's nothing that would have changed what has come to pass. There was nothing you could have done…there wasn't anything _either _of us could have done."

Kieran watched him as he stood away. "Who did you lose?"

"'Lose' isn't exactly what happened. The one I am thinking of is not dead…at least, to my knowledge," Wei expressed. He turned back to Kieran and looked down at him. "Regardless, he is 'lost' to me. But do you know the worst of it is?"

"What?"

"I have lost more than just my best friend," Wei confessed. "I made a mistake some time ago, where I lost more…all because of a single, stupid act. Because of that, I lost my home, my family, my honor…"

"…And how are you dealing with it?" Kieran finally asked after a few moments of respectful silence.

"By acknowledging the mistake I made, learning from it," he stated. "And moving forward from it."

"I don't know if I can do that," Kieran said.

"It is different for everyone," Wei comforted him. "Loss, failure, death. These things are a normal part of the lives we lead."

"We can't avoid them," the slightly younger boy agreed.

"Exactly, but how we deal with them," he went on. "How we are able to move forward…that is the true test of our character."

Kieran shook his head with a remorseful smile. "Make me wonder about the strength of my character."

Wei chuckled a little, and then returned to the mat to sit down again.

"Do you know what you have to do now?"

Kieran looked at him for a brief moment. "I need to apologize to Jun, for yelling at him and arguing with him."

"Yes."

"I need to find a way to track down The Collector and save my brother," he listed. "But without putting anyone else in danger, or jeopardizing our fight against Avatar."

"In a way, by taking care of one…" Wei reasoned. "You are weakening the other."

"True."

"Anything else?"

Kieran sat in thought.

"There is something," Kieran concluded. "I need to talk to Red Robin about it first."

"I'll leave you to that then," Wei offered. "I'm going to go make something to eat."

Striker rose to his feet again and started to head for the training room exit.

"Hey Wei?" Kieran called. Wei stopped and looked at him over his shoulder. "Thanks."

"Anytime, my friend," Wei replied as he walked out of the room.

* * *

_Metropolis _

_July 24, 09:33 EDT_

Going along the same vein as Felicity, Jun decided that he needed to spend some time with a good friend. Unlike his teammate, however, he didn't necessarily have someone he could talk with regarding his superpowers, any of the enemies he had fought or any of the missions he had been on. Besides Zarcen, who was of course there with him through every experience, no one else besides his new teammates knew about his superhero life. He didn't want to put any of his friends or his grandfather in danger.

That being said, it did not mean that he couldn't have some fun with his good friend, Samantha Kespen. She was a fellow student he had met a number of years ago once his grandfather allowed him to go to public school instead of being home-schooled. He and Sam had become best friends over the course of that school year, and they kept in contact through the years following that. Jun did feel guilty that he never told her about Zarcen and his powers, but he figured he needed to keep his Blue Gentleman identity a secret, even from her.

Samantha lived on the outskirts of Metropolis, close enough to the city that she could go there whenever she wanted, but far enough to be surrounded by greenery. The mansion was one of the largest buildings Jun had ever seen, consisting of dozens of rooms including three ballrooms, multiple studies and libraries, greenhouse, boathouse, an expansive kitchen and dining room, and more entertainment rooms than necessary. Michael Kespen, Sam's father, was CEO to a major technology firm, resulting in a multimillion dollar income that allowed his family whatever luxuries they desired.

Jun was just happy that such a lifestyle did not turn Sam into a completely spoiled brat.

He was welcomed into the mansion by one of the Kespens' butlers and brought to the front room. Jun settled himself onto one of the couches while a maid brought in some tea and biscuits. Although he was really not a fan of tea he did not want to be rude, so he picked up a teacup and took a few sips. Jun managed to swallow it down before placing it back, tapping his foot a little impatiently.

"This is weird," he said to the empty room. "Normally I'm taken straight to Sam's room."

_Indeed, this is a little odd,_ Zarcen agreed. _Why would you be left here?_

"I wonder if something is going on."

"Good morning, Jun," a deep voice called to him. Michael sauntered into the room and quietly took a seat on an opposite couch. "It's good to see you today."

Michael must have been on a day off, since he was not at his office in Metropolis. He still wore his standard black business suit with red tie, however, and looked as pressed and proper as he always did. His short, black hair was still combed very neatly to match his pencil mustache. Of course, Jun knew from experience that despite the man's demeanor he was a very friendly and caring man who always looked after both his employees and his family. His kind brown eyes attested to that, and his quiet smile put Jun immediately at ease.

"Thank you, Mr. Kespen," Jun said respectfully. "How are you?"

"I am doing well," the older man replied. "How may I help you today?"

"I'm actually here to see Sam," he told him. "I was wondering if she wanted to hang out."

"I should have known," said the man. "Unfortunately, she's not here right now."

"She's not?" Where would she go? Jun had talked to her on the phone just a few days before leaving for the Justice League Festival.

"Sam's visiting relatives overseas," Michael explained. "She'll be back by the time school starts again."

"When did she leave?" Jun asked, disappointed.

"A few days ago, while you were off on your government school trip," Michael informed. "Speaking of which, how was your trip? Did you learn a lot?"

_We should have known that Kazuo may have shared your alibi with Mr. Kespen,_ Zarcen realized.

"It, uh, it was great," Jun responded. "I learned a lot and met a lot of new people."

"I'm glad that you are taking initiative in your education," Michael shared, his smile widening a little. "I sometimes worry that you are not taking your studies seriously."

"Which is why you convinced my grandfather that I needed summer school?" the young man questioned, trying to hide the annoyance at being stuck in class when he could be out fighting crime.

"It never hurts to get ahead, Jun," Michael debated calmly. "Besides, I wanted to make sure that any scholarships I fund to Metropolis University that you may be eligible for are put to good use."

Jun stared at him. Michael Kespen wanted to fund his college expenses?

"It's simply something to consider, Jun," the older man stated. There was a loud ring that came from Michael's pocket. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and gave a small nod to Jun before answering it. "Michael Kespen."

Jun snacked on one of the biscuits while the businessman spoke with whoever was on the other side.

"I see. I will be right there," he replied to the person on the other end of the line. He hung up his phone and regarded Jun again. "I'm sorry, Jun, but I have to leave. There has been a break-in at one of my warehouses."

Jun's head instantly snapped up. "A break-in?"

"Yes, near the center of the city," Michael informed him. "I need to see to it now. Please feel free to stay as long as you like."

"Actually, I think I'll head out now," Jun told him, standing up. "I'll call Sam when she's back from vacation."

Michael smiled and ordered one of his butlers to escort the young man out. Jun walked down the huge driveway until he reached the giant fountain in the center of the front yard (which to Jun's mind actually was more of a courtyard). He dived behind the fountain and quickly changed into his Blue Gentleman costume. He took off as secretly as he could, heading for the center of Metropolis.

_There is something very suspicious about this, Jun,_ Zarcen thought-spoke.

_Yeah, I've got a bad feeling about this,_ Jun agreed.

Blue Gentleman was able to find the scene of the crime relatively easily. He had gone school field trips to Kespen Technology Incorporated a few times, so he had a general idea of where one of the buildings was located.

It also didn't hurt that the building was also partly on fire.

_Oh great,_ Jun mentally moaned. _Fire. Why did it have to be fire?_

Swallowing his fear, and diving down towards the flames as quickly as he could fly, Blue Gentleman found himself face to face with a young man, who was about around Golem's age but with a more lean build to him. He wore a black tunic and pants with black shoes that were all covered by a long, brown cloak. His hair carefully trimmed and would have reached the upper part of his back if it wasn't blowing in the light wind that was present at the elevation that the two men were flying at. Jun could not see his face because it was covered by a grey, blank, expressionless mask. In one hand he carried a knapsack with a broken shoulder strap, while around the fingers of each fist was a set of brass knuckles. Deep brown wings spread from his back and flapped every few seconds, keeping the man airborne.

_Jun, is that…?_ Zarcen trailed off.

Jun stared at his opponent for a minute. "Design?"

If Design was surprised, Jun couldn't tell due to his face being completely covered. He laughed.

"Well, Gentleman, it's been a long time," Design mocked. He flew around to position himself above Jun. "A little over a year, in fact."

"Did you make those wings yourself?" Jun questioned as he gestured towards the wings on Design's back.

"Oh, you know how much I like warping things," he joked. The wings began to dissipate. "Want to see me doing fast?"

The appendages suddenly faded away and Design fell backwards, dived to the ground at full speed. Blue Gentleman flew down after him, thinking that he would have to catch him. Jun strongly believed in bringing villains to justice, but he was certainly not going to let any villain go and kill himself.

Of course, he need not have worried. About halfway down to the earth below, Design manifested wings onto his back again, swooping down and flying back up above the many skyscrapers of Metropolis. Blue Gentleman flew back to him, ready to fight.

"What exactly did you steal from KT Incorporated?" Jun demanded, pointing to the knapsack that he was sure contained the stolen goods. "It's not like you can't just create whatever you want."

"Might I remind you that you have a bomb to defuse?" Design prompted, pointing to the warehouse behind Jun, where the fire was smoldering to nearly nothing.

_Wait…What bomb?!_

_Jun, I can sense that there are still people inside!_Zarcen mentally yelled.

"Are you going to chase after me and take back what I stole, or are you going to save the lives of the people inside?" Design taunted him, almost as if he could hear what Zarcen was saying as well. He turned around and began to fly off. "Your call. Don't worry. I'll be seeing you again _very_ soon!"

Blue Gentleman growled as he watched his enemy fly away. He didn't wait long though, as he soon spun around and sped towards the warehouse.

"I am _done_ with people throwing me morality curveballs!" he complained.

_I know, Jun,_ Zarcen comforted him. _But we can talk about it later. Right now, focus on the people inside the warehouse._

The warehouse was already surrounded by police officers and fire fighters, with four fire trucks already working on getting the fire out. A few ambulances and emergency medical technicians were also there, tending to the many wounded that had either escaped or been rescued from the fire. The fire looked to be mostly taken care of, but with the fire fighters that were still running in and out of the warehouse it was clear that the situation was not completely under control.

Jun flew over to the nearest firefighter, hovering a few feet above him.

"How many people are still inside?" he inquired.

"Blue Gentleman? Thank God!" the firefighter proclaimed. Jun's self-esteem rose just a little; he really _was_ starting to become more renowned. "Only four, but none of my people can find them anywhere."

"Stay here. Call your men back," Blue Gentleman ordered. "I'll find the others."

_Be careful to stay below the remaining smoke, Jun,_ his mentor cautioned him.

_Good thing the fire's out,_ Jun sighed.

Blue Gentleman flew through a large hole in the closest wall, ignoring the calls from the officers. As he suspected, a lot of the fire had either been put out or had burned away everything flammable inside the building. This, however, left the remains of the building in great disrepair, and a lot of the structural integrity was compromised. As Jun ran around, trying to find any trace of survivors.

With the warehouse being in the bad shape that it was in, it did not take Jun much time to reach the center of the warehouse, although he did have to be very careful to avoid any falling metal beams and wooden planks. He was a little surprised that the lower structures were still supporting the building as much as they were.

Jun could hear the muffled screams of the remaining people. Following them as best as he could, he came upon a pile of wreckage on the south side of the giant room. Blue Gentleman telekinetically removed the debris, revealing a smashed trapdoor that led to a basement floor. There was still some smoke present near the top of the room, but it was much thinner as he headed downstairs into the lower level. He was incredibly relieved that the fire was for the most part taken care of. Jun wasn't sure he could handle trying to save people from an actively burning building.

However, part of him wished that it was a fire he had to contend with, instead of coming face-to-face with a bomb. It was as tall as Jun himself and encased in sheer black metal that gave it the shape reminiscent of a rocket. At the base of the bomb were four people, three men and a woman, were bound and tied to the bomb with chains. They began to struggle more when Blue Gentleman came into their view.

Jun rushed forward, trying to find the end of the chain where he could free the prisoners. As he got closer to them and bent down, he noticed that there was a large, digital timer on the side, slowing counting down from sixteen minutes. He groaned. Of course Design would put a timer on the bomb.

"Don't worry," he said to the four. He managed find the end of the chain, allowing him to unravel the prisoners with his powers. "I'll get you out of here."

"What about the bomb?" One of the men asked, brushing soot off his overalls.

'_What about the bomb?' is right… _Blue Gentleman turned to look at the bomb. _Zarcen, you wouldn't happen to know how to disarm a bomb, do you?_

There was no response for a minute, which was a little perplexing. _Zarcen?_

_I'm sorry, Jun,_ Zarcen finally replied. He sounded tired. _A bomb…No, I don't know how to disarm them._

"BG!"

Jun turned his head to see Lancet leaping down from the stairs, coming from the first floor to the basement through the same passage he himself had used. She ran forward to the group, her head snapping back and forth between the Blue Gentleman and the bomb.

"Bollocks, that's a bomb..." she muttered. Lancet didn't waste any time however. "Blue, get these people out of here. I will take care of this thing."

"You know how to disarm a bomb?" Blue Gentleman questioned.

"I've done it before," Lancet answered, taking out a pocket screwdriver from her utility belt and opening up the panel attached to the timer. She gently lowered the panel, revealing multiple wires inside the bomb. Noticing that Jun was still watching her, she looked over her shoulder at him. "What are you waiting for?"

"You know how to disarm a bomb," he said. It was a statement rather than a question. "And you've done it before."

Lancet rolled her eyes and got back to work. "Get these people out, BG."

Jun shook his head and turned to the people, guiding them to follow him. The four workers were moving too slowly to get out at a reasonable time, so Blue Gentleman decided to just levitate them, flying the four and him out of the building through the large hole in the vertical wall. Once he dropped them off near one of the ambulance Jun flew back inside; a number of firefighters and police officers followed him as quickly as they could. Jun reached Olivia again to find her tinkering with a few of the wires and switches inside. The timer had reached eleven minutes. One of the police officers carefully stepped forward.

"Miss," he said. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"I'm concentrating," Lancet responded, as if that simple phrase answered any and all questions.

"Yes, but—"

"Sir, trust me," Blue Gentleman interrupted him. "She can do this if she focuses."

_I hope you don't end up eating those words,_ Zarcen thought, although there was no malice in his mental tone.

_Why would Design make a bomb that could be disarmed anyway?_ Jun wondered. _He could easily have reality warped a bomb that _couldn't_ be disarmed._

_Perhaps he is hoping for a distraction so he could escape, which he has been successful at,_ Zarcen rationalized. _Or perhaps he was thinking that no one would be able to disarm the bomb anyway._

Jun watched Olivia as she carefully pulled a large, red, metal rod out of the bomb and set it as far away from the panel opening as she could from her kneeled position. From there, she pulled out a pair of wire cutters from her belt and snipped at each of the wires inside, starting with the blue one, followed by a yellow and black striped one, and then red.

The look on her face was entrancing. The determined look in her eyes beneath her purple domino mask as she focused on her task, the way her lips pursed together in concentration, the way her nose crinkled just a little as she slowly moved the cutters between each wire…Jun didn't think he had ever seen someone look so absorbed in something, so controlled in his or her movements, or so resolute in accomplishing a task this important before. He blinked.

Actually, when he thought about it, Jun _had _seen this expression before – when Lancet had made a promise to him at LexCorp, after he had recovered from his panic attack caused by Blood Zero's insanity.

"_**Jun, I will never let something like that happen to you again."**_

And Jun felt like he couldn't take his eyes off her.

_Jun,_ Zarcen called to him. _You're staring._

_Yeah,_ he agreed, only partially hearing what his mentor was saying.

Lancet finally cut the last wire, a black one, and the timer on the removed but still connected panel shut off. She gave out a huge breath of relief, which was shared by everyone else in the basement.

The group left the warehouse, aware that the structure was severely compromised from the fire. The police officers called in reinforcement to work on clean-up of the area and to remove the disarmed explosive, while the four prisoners were rushed off to the nearest hospital for any necessary treatment. The police taped off the area to keep any civilians away from the scene, although that didn't stop them from trying to get a look at the ruined warehouse and the heroes who had shown up to help.

Of course, as with every scene like this, reporters would always show up as well. Journalists from every newspaper, magazine and news show in Metropolis quickly appeared near the police tape. Most of them stayed on their side as they were supposed to, but one reporter and her cameraman broke the rules and ducked under the tape, heading in Jun and Olivia's direction.

"This is Jade Williams reporting for GBS News," the woman declared, rushing over to Jun and shoving her microphone into his face. "Blue Gentleman, right? Any comment on the events that happened here?"

"Uh, well," he stumbled out. "From what I know…a villain came to steal from KT Incorporated, set the warehouse on fire and planted a bomb inside. The, uh, fire was mostly put out by the time I got here and, um, my teammate, uh, was able to disarm the bomb. Everything's safe now."

"A bomb! You hear this folks!" Jade responded, turning to the camera in surprise. "That's quite an accomplishment for a teen hero."

_How do I keep ending up dealing with news reporters anyway?!_ Jun complained in his head.

_It is your lot in life, I suppose,_ Zarcen said, half-jokingly.

"Blue Gentleman, how are you holding up, fighting crime in Metropolis with Superman currently out of commission?" Jade inquired, obviously referring to the disappearance of Superman and a number of other superheroes at the Justice League Festival

"Um, I, uh…" Blue Gentleman didn't really want to be hounded with all these questions. He _hated _the media! _Someone get me out of here!_

"Well, it's not exactly easy trying to take care of all the crime in the city, let alone in the entire world," Lancet spoke up, taking a place beside Jun. "Especially on short notice. We can only do the best we can."

"You must be the companion Blue Gentleman mentioned," Jade concluded with a smile. She turned her full attention to the young heroine. "I don't think we've seen you before. Were you the one who disarmed the bomb inside?"

"That's me," she confirmed, standing proudly in front of Jun. "I'm Lancet, and I'm new to the area."

"Where are you from?" Jade inquired. "Do you have a mentor? Who taught you to disarm bombs?"

"I'm originally from Europe. I came over to attend the Justice League Festival," Olivia explained, giving just enough detail to satisfy the journalist. Blue Gentleman noticed that she had one hand behind her back. She was pointing towards the nearby rooftops, signaling for him to escape while he had the chance. "After the events there, I decided to stay in America and help wherever I can. I was taught by another hero named Fletcher, and yes, he showed me how to disarm a variety of explosives."

Taking the obvious hint, Blue Gentleman snuck off as quietly as he could. Once he was hidden behind one of the fire trucks he took off, landing on one of the nearby rooftops. He hopped from one roof to the next to try and keep himself hidden from prying eyes.

Blue Gentleman waited at the top of one of the skyscrapers while Lancet did her business with the journalists. Olivia seemed much more comfortable around the media than he was, and he was grateful that she had distracted them long enough for him to make a getaway. He watched as the news vans packed up and drove away, but he didn't see where Lancet had gone.

_I hope nothing happened to her,_ he thought.

_Jun, of all of your new teammates,_ Zarcen comforted him. _I would say that Olivia is the one who is best able to take care of herself...Well, I stand corrected. Olivia and Wei are._

_Yeah, that Wei guy sure could pack a punch,_ Jun agreed. _Literally. He took out Golem like he was nothing!_

_I am unfamiliar with his fighting style,_ Zarcen commented. _I wonder where he learned it._

_Yeah, I'm curious about it too,_ the boy thought. _I should ask him about it sometime._

"Having fun hiding out here?" a feminine voice called to Jun. He turned his head to see Lancet standing on top of an air duct a few meters away. "News reporters not really your thing?"

Jun smiled. "_Really_ not my thing. Thanks for the save, and for dealing with the bomb."

"No problem," she replied. "Fletcher taught me all about explosives. Luckily that one was one I'd seen before."

"That bomb surprised me," Blue Gentleman admitted. "I would think that Design would make a bomb that couldn't be disarmed."

"Design? Is he the one who did all that?"

"Yeah. He's a reality warper," he explained. "He can make something from nothing, modify his own body or transform one thing into something else."

"Modify his own body?" she echoed. "Like a shapeshifter?"

"Not exactly," Jun corrected. "Just aspects of himself, like giving himself wings, make himself stronger or invulnerable to certain things…stuff like that."

"Scary," Lancet said. "You know him well?"

Jun shrugged. "I've only fought him twice, and the second time I managed to put him in a coma using my telepathy. This was actually the first time I've seen him in a year."

"Hopefully for the last time."

"I wouldn't hold my breath," he answered. Olivia chuckled. "How'd you find me here anyway? Metropolis is not exactly a small city."

"It's just like Edinburgh, just on a larger scale...a _much_ larger scale," Olivia reasoned. "Really, looking for someone causing trouble in a big city? My brother and I practically do this for a living."

"Good point," Jun acknowledged. "So, um, were you looking for me?"

"I just wanted to check on you, after yesterday," Olivia admitted. "And you weren't answering your phone, so I figured I'd just come find you."

"My phone?" he repeated, confused. "I don't carry my phone with me when I'm Blue Gentleman."

"You should. What if something happened to you?" Lancet debated. "You probably don't have a communicator with you either. What if you needed help?"

"You saw me in the warehouse," Jun recalled. "I'm all set to fight crime, any time."

"I didn't ask if you were up to fighting crime," she replied. "I asked if you were doing okay?"

"What's the difference?"

_She's concerned for your well-being,_ Zarcen interpreted for him. _Look at her. She's worried about _you_, not whether or not you can defeat criminals._

Jun took in the young woman's face, noting the worried but hopeful expression. Was she really that concerned about him? He felt his ears turn hot.

"I'm fine, Lancet," he comforted her. "Really."

"Okay. Just...you know, I wanted to be sure," Olivia smiled, rubbing the back of her neck. "Red Robin also asked me to let you know that he's holding a training session tomorrow at about one. You, uh, going to come?"

"A training session? Of course I'll be there," Blue Gentleman answered. Why was she acting more nervous than usual? "Why wouldn't I?"

"Back to yesterday, I guess," she described. "After that argument you had with Ki-Haunt, I wasn't sure you'd come back."

"An argument isn't going to keep me away from the Team," Jun said with a slight laugh. Olivia's smile widened. However, he soon turned serious. "What do you think?"

"About what?"

"About what Haunt said? Do you think I refuse to do 'what is necessary' to fight criminals?"

Olivia was silent for a while, her eyes trailing back and forth on the ground as if deep in thought. Jun at first thought that she wasn't going to answer him, or that she actually agreed with Kieran's beliefs but didn't want to tell him. The young woman did eventually return her gaze to his eyes.

"I'm missing a brother too, and I _know_ that I will go to any lengths to find him and make sure he's safe. So I completely understand where he's coming from," she explained. Jun exhaled; so she _did_ agree with Kieran. His stomach dropped a little. She kept speaking, however, as she moved to sit on an air vent for the building. "_But_, Fletcher also taught me that if we go to the same lengths as our enemies – that if we kill, maim or torture to stop criminals, even the worst ones – then we are no better than the people we are trying to stop. We can't stoop down to their level, no matter how tempting it is. So I get where you're coming from too."

Jun smiled, instantly feeling better. So she was taking the middle ground? Both of them were right? When she put it that way, he could see why Kieran would be in such a state of concern about his brother, and a _little_ brother at that. Jun had no siblings of his own, but if Kieran was feeling the way that Olivia was _looking_ right now...well, he couldn't completely fault the older boy for his behavior.

"Too bad I can't make Kieran see it that way," he muttered.

"Why not?" Lancet questioned. "Why not talk to him about it some more?"

"And start another argument?" Jun sneered. "Pass."

"You know Ju-Blue Gentleman, remember all the times you tried to cheer me up when I was feeling down about my kidnapped brother? You were trying to be encouraging, to make me feel better..." she reported, regrettably. "Just having you there, telling me that everything was going to be okay even if you didn't know that for sure...it really helped. I know I _really_ didn't show it at the time, but…I really appreciate it."

The two sets of eyes met and held their gazes.

"I think that Haunt needs someone like that, to keep things in perspective for him," Olivia continued. "I mean, he does have one point: How would you feel if something happened to a person you really cared about?"

Different faces flashed through Jun's mind – his grandfather Kazuo, his best friend Sam, Zarcen (although he doubted anything could happen to him while he was fused with Jun's body), and even his new teammates as well…including Olivia. Just the thought of losing any more friends or family made his heart skip a beat.

"…I wouldn't handle it very well," he admitted. "I guess Haunt wouldn't either."

"We're a team, right?" Olivia reminded. "We all watch each other's backs."

"Yeah, you're right," Jun concurred. "I'll try talking to him tomorrow before training."

"That's all I ask," she replied. Olivia hopped off the air vent box and heading for the edge of the rooftop. "I'm going to get something to eat and then head back to The Sanctuary. You want to come?"

"No thanks," he said. "I'm going to patrol around for a while."

"Okay…Don't work too hard," Lancet suggested. "You've got to take it easy sometimes too."

_Truer words have never been spoken,_ Zarcen added, after having been silent for so long.

"Shut up," Jun sneered. He then looked up to see Olivia still staring at him. "Um, that wasn't about you. It was—"

"Zarcen, I take it?" she responded, grinning. "No worries. Good night, BG. Good night, Zarcen. I'll see you tomorrow."

Lancet shot her grappling spearhead from her weapon to the next closest skyscraper and swung herself over. Blue Gentleman watched as she jumped from building to building, and was soon out of sight.

_You're staring again, Jun,_ Zarcen stated.

_Arg! Zarcen!_

_Just an observation._

_Lay off._

_It wouldn't hurt to take a break once in a while,_ Zarcen pressed, changing the subject. _I would think you would like to spend time with a friend who was another hero. There would be less you would have to keep secret._

_Yeah, but…_ Jun paused. He turned to take off in the opposite direction. _I have patrol to do. Who knows what else Design might have stolen from somewhere else?_

Zarcen had to keep himself from sighing.

* * *

_The Sanctuary, Blüdhaven_

_July 25, 12:02 EDT_

"Recognized: Blue Gentleman, E-zero-two," the Zeta Tube computer announced as Jun walked out of the transporter.

The half-Japanese young man headed for the training room, planning to arrive there and practice a little until it was time for the official training with Red Robin. To reach the training room he had to pass the hallways that lead to the kitchen and dining room, which were connected together. As he did so, he had to pause at a somewhat strange sound.

"_I want to live my life, the way you said I would," _a voice rang out, trying to stay to a melody. _"With courage as my light, fighting for what's right, like you made me believe I could."_

Someone was singing…someone male, and the voice was coming from the kitchen.

"_And I will fly on my father's wings, to places I have never been,"_ the song continued. It wasn't necessarily a bad singing voice, but it certainly didn't have any distinct talent to it either. _"There is so much I've never seen."_

Jun diverted from his path and headed for the kitchen instead. It was there that he found the source of the singing.

"_And I can feel his heartbeat still, and I will do great things,"_ Kieran sang as he put the finishing touches on a sandwich. _"On my father's wings."_

Kieran took a breath, as he was going to start signing again, when he turned and saw Jun standing in the nearby doorway. He stared at the younger man for a moment, his mouth partly open, before his gaze dropped to the sandwich in his hands.

"Hey Jun."

"Hey," he replied simply. "Nice song. What's it from?"

"Some old movie," the white-haired one informed. "My mom used to sing it. She said it reminded her of her dad."

_It must remind him of his father too,_ Zarcen reasoned. _As well as having a connection to his mother._

There was a long awkward silence between the two, neither wanting to be the first to speak.

_Say something, Jun,_ Zarcen instructed.

"I'll see you at training," Jun said, turning to leave the kitchen.

_That is not what I meant,_ the alien groaned. _You told Olivia you were going to talk to him._

_Yeah, but now that I'm actually here,_ Jun told his mentor. _I don't think I can right now._

"Jun?" Kieran called, causing Jun to stop in his tracks. So much for leaving. "Please sit?"

Recognizing a request rather than an order, Jun slowly turned around. Kieran's face had an edge of sorrow to it that made him pause. Recalling his conversation with Olivia from the previous day, Jun figured he could at the very least hear him out. He walked over to the nearest dining room chair and sat down. Kieran followed suit, placing his plate with the sandwich on it on the tabletop.

"Jun, about before, when I said all those things about your heroics and how you do things," he reminded. "I was really out of line. Sorry."

Blue Gentleman gave a nod.

"I'm sorry too," Jun mirrored. "I didn't mean to just dismiss how worried you are about your brother. If it were me, I'd feel the same way."

Kieran smiled slightly. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"For meeting me half-way," he told the younger. "So we're cool?"

"Frosty," Jun responded. He paused for a minute while Kieran ate some of his lunch. "Kieran, I did want to talk about that. How you think that you have to kill The Collector to stop him from hurting anyone else?"

_You may be opening another can of worms,_ Zarcen cautioned him.

"Look, we're just going to have to agree to disagree," Kieran concluded, turning away. He didn't want to argue about this again. "I can't seem to change your mind, and you're not going to change mine. So we should just drop it."

"It just bugs me," he continued. "When I was taken by Blood Zero, he was telling me about all these things."

"Blood Zero? That crazy murderer guy? Your rogue?"

"Yeah. He was going on about how killing one person can save many more," Jun explained. "He went off on this story where a person is about to kill five people, and if I stop him by killing him I save those five. But if I let him live, he kills them and lives on to kill again. It…just seemed too similar to what you were saying yesterday."

Kieran swallowed and gave a hum. "Sounds like he reads philosophy."

"What?"

"That sounds a lot like the trolley problem."

"Trolley problem?"

"Picture this. There's a trolley car running down a track, where there are five people standing," Kieran described. "The trolley is going too fast to stop it in time so it doesn't kill the people on the track, and they don't see it in time to get out of the way. The only way to save them is to switch the trolley to another track. However, there is also another person on the second track, who is also too close to stop the trolley in time."

Jun's jaw dropped a little. "That's _a lot_ like what he said."

"It's something my dad wanted me to think about," Kieran affirmed. "Would you switch the trolley and kill one person, or not take any action and watch five people die?"

_Essentially,_ Zarcen added in Jun's mind. _Is it worse to actively kill one person or to passively kill five?_

"How can you even make such a choice?" the younger wondered aloud, answering both questions at once.

"Oh, it can get even more complicated," the older said snidely. "What if the five people on the first track are there because they are drunk and passed out there? And the one person on the second track is actually the repairman who is supposed to be there, doing his job? Do the people who are not being responsible or taking care of themselves properly deserve to die for doing something stupid like that, or the person who has the right to be there?"

_The five are in their predicament due to their own bad choices,_ Zarcen adjoined. _Should they really be saved at the expense of someone who is taking care of his own responsibilities?_

_You are not helping, Zarcen,_ Jun grumbled.

"Or how about this? What if that one person on the second track was the Joker?" Kieran resumed. "And the five are his future victims? Wouldn't it make sense to kill the Joker if that meant saving those people?"

"I remember this. This was in the news way back when," Jun recalled. "Back when Batman was being criticized for not killing the Joker himself."

"Before the Joker died after that catastrophe that was Arkham City. A lot of people were asking that question back then," said the white-haired man. "I'm not trying to convince you one way or the other. I'm just saying that's probably where Blood Zero was getting that scenario."

"This is making my head hurt," Jun said in an attempt to joke.

"You and me both, man," Kieran concurred.

There was another bout of silence as Kieran finished eating his food. He moved to take the plate back into the kitchen to put it in the dishwasher. Jun watched him as he did this. He could guess whether or not Kieran would flip that trolley switch if given the choice. He made his point of view on the matter pretty clear during their argument two days ago. But Jun just couldn't imagine that someone like Kieran would really let himself become a murderer like that. If Haunt really had the experience as a hero as Red Robin implied before, wouldn't he have a better sense of right and wrong than he seemed to show? What would Ghostwise think of his own son behaving this way?

_Bringing up how his father would react to him now would be a very unwise choice,_ Zarcen declared, being completely in tune with Jun's thoughts.

_I know, but…_ he began. Jun shook his head. "Hey Kieran."

"Yeah?" The other paused in his movements out the door and looked over his shoulder.

"Promise me something?" he asked. Kieran continued to watch him, waiting for the request. "When you do eventually face him, don't kill The Collector. Don't be the one to flip the trolley switch."

Kieran's face instantly darkened. He turned around completely and crossed his arms, cocking one eyebrow.

"There _is_ another way to deal with him once you find him and rescue your brother," Jun justified. "I don't know what it is exactly because I don't know under what circumstances you'll fight him, but there is _always _something. Don't kill him. Don't become a murderer."

"…I don't like making promises I can't keep."

"Then keep this one?"

Kieran refused to meet his eyes. "It's almost time to meet Red Robin. We better head for the training room."

* * *

Haunt and Blue Gentleman were the first to arrive at the training room, soon followed by Lancet and Striker, which made sense seeing as those two were currently living at The Sanctuary. Brightside and Shade came in a little later. Everyone stood around, fully in costume, unsure of what exactly this session would involve.

"Red Robin said one, right?" Felicity asked.

"Yeah, exactly one," Olivia replied from her spot next to Jun as she leaned on her spear. She glanced at the clock, which showed that it was just a little before the appointed time. "He should be here any minute."

"So you're sticking around, Wei?" Zyon inquired of the tall young man. "Going to join the team?"

"That's right," Wei answered him in his normal, quiet voice.

"You sure? You were only just rescued after all," Olivia mentioned. "Do you have anywhere to be or anyone to speak with?"

"If Avatar and his group are threatening heroes and the world as much as they are," he rationalized. "Then this is where I'm needed most."

Red Robin entered the room, the sound of the door whirling open followed by his light footsteps. He looked around at his New Team, feeling rather satisfied with himself that he was able to gather a group of young heroes like these ones.

"Everyone's here? Good," he decided. "Everyone gather around in a circle."

The teenagers grouped themselves closer together. Red Robin gestured with his hands for them to stand even closer, until they were practically shoulder to shoulder.

"Before we get started on actual training, I wanted to go over something," he explained. "You all know this to some extent, since you all managed to work as a team during your last…unauthorized mission, but I feel like every new team needs this lesson at least once."

Red Robin backed up out of the circle and directed them to close the gap. No personal space was allowed between them, and Lancet set her spear down beside her to give her hands more room.

"Turn to the person to your right and close the circle again," Red Robin guided. They did so, and Zyon found himself with a face full of Kieran's white hair. "Now, sit down. Support the person in front of you."

A little unsure of how this was supposed to work, they all slowly began to sit, the knees of the person behind them acting as a seat. Olivia found herself blushing as she sat carefully in Jun's lap, while Felicity sat in hers. Felicity was not sure she could support Wei in front of her, but was surprised when his weight didn't seem to put too much tension on her leg muscles. It was actually pretty easy to support him, since she was in turn supported by Olivia. Zyon was not as happy because he found himself sandwiched between Kieran and Wei, both of whom were just slightly bigger then he was.

"Every member of a team has a role to play," Red Robin explained as the group sat. "Each of you has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. Where one falls the others pick up. This is essential for a team to work. How stable do you feel right now?"

"Pretty stable," Jun admitted, looking behind him at Kieran for a moment.

"Yeah, I'm not feeling like I'll crumble beneath Wei's weight or anything," Felicity concurred. Wei smiled at her.

"Very good. Now," the elder hero continued. "Felicity, step out of the circle."

The blonde looked uncertain. After a few moments pause, Felicity dislodged herself from the group. Of course, once she was outside of sitting circle, Wei lost all of his support. He tried to sit-stand in a way that kept them upright. If he stood, he knocked Zyon out of his lap and forward; however, if he continued to sit, he ended up slamming into Olivia, which knocked her off balance as well. This all created a domino effect, and the team except for Felicity ended up in a tumbled heap on the floor.

"When a team works effectively, it is greater than the sum of its parts," Red Robin summarized. "You must work together as a whole in all things – missions, personal lives, and public lives. Understand?"

The pile of teenagers grumbled in agreement.

"Good," he stated. "Now onto today's training…"


End file.
